The red-browed pardalote (Pardalotus rubricatus) is a small brightly coloured insectivorous passerine, endemic to Australia (Schodde & Mason 1999). A gleaning specialist, they forage primarily in eucalypt trees (Woinarski 1984). The Latin word rubricatus means 'red-ochred' which is descriptive of their orange-red eyebrow (Higgins & Peter 2002). Other common names include red-browed diamondbird, bellbird, cape red-browed, pale red-browed, fawn-eyed, fawn-eyebrowed and pallid or red-lored pardalote (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Red-browed pardalotes belong to the order Passeriformes and family Pardalotidae of which four species are recognised: red-browed pardalote Pardalotus rubricatus, spotted pardalotePardalotus punctatus, forty-spotted pardalotePardalotus quadragintus and striated pardalotePardalotus striatus. Historically, the family Pardalotidae included pardalotes and acanthizid warblers; gerygones, scrubwrens and thornbills (Christidis & Boles 2008). However, recent phylogenetic and morphological studies (Driskell & Christidis 2004), (Schodde & Mason 1999) indicate that pardalotes are more closely related to honeyeaters than acanthizid warblers, which resulted in the separation of this group into two families, Pardalotidae and Acanthizidae (Christidis & Boles 2008). The pardalote, acanthizid warbler, honeyeater and bristlebird family, form a monophyletic group (Christidis & Boles 2008).
Subspecies
Matthews described the subspecies Pardalotus yorki in 1913 (Higgins & Peter 2002). Their range begins at the base of the Gulf of Carpentaria and extends north along the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland (Schodde & Mason 1999). Difference in morphology and plumage distinguish this subspecies from the nominate race (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Description
Adult red–browed pardalotes are a large pardalote with an average length of 105mm and wingspan of 60–66mm. Males weigh approximately 10.9g and females weigh 10.8 g. The average length of the male tarsus is 18.3mm and female tarsus is 18.5mm (Higgins & Peter 2002). The subspecies yorki are smaller in size, 100–120mm long and weigh less at 9.3g. The average length of the male tarsus is 17.4mm and female tarsus is 17.3mm (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Simpson, Day & Trusler 1999). Their wingspan is 58–62mm in length (Schodde & Mason 1999).
The red–browed pardalote does not exhibit plumage that changes seasonally and is not sexually dichromatic (Higgins & Peter 2002). The nominate race rubricatus have a pale iris, a black crown with distinctive white spots and a yellow to buff supercilium. They have a red to orange-red brow and a yellow breast patch with yellow wing panels (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Simpson, Day & Trusler 1999). Juvenile birds are generally paler in comparison to adults (Simpson, Day & Trusler 1999). They have a darker iris that is olive to pale olive, a duller crown with less obvious patterning and a dull orange-yellow brow (Higgins & Peter 2002).
The sub-species yorki are generally more brightly coloured than the nominate race (Simpson, Day & Trusler 1999). They have an iris that is straw-brown or yellow, a black crown with fine spots; fine dark scalloping across their mantel and hind neck. They have a bright yellow breast patch, yellow rump and an orange wing panel (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Schodde & Mason 1999). Plumage of the juvenile yorki subspecies has not been described (Higgins & Peter 2002).
The call of the red-browed pardalote is a distinctive five or six note song, with the first note longer and lower pitched than the remaining notes which increase in pitch and speed (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Simpson, Day & Trusler 1999). Males call periodically between feeding to announce their territory from a sheltered perch within the trees canopy (Schodde & Tidemann 1986). It has been described as sounding similar to the call of a rosella species (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Distribution and habitat
The red-browed pardalote is a widely distributed species ranging from north and central Australia, south and south central Western Australia, northeast South Australia ( Lake Eyre Basin) to south west New South Wales. They may also be found throughout the Great Sandy, Gibson and Great Victoria Desert (Higgins & Peter 2002). They live in a wide range of habitats including woodlands, shrublands, tropical, arid and semi-arid regions of Australia (Higgins & Peter 2002). Eucalypt woodlands, which border watercourses such as riparian river red gum, coolibah woodlands and tall eucalypt shrublands such as mallee, are the preferred habitats (Costello 1981), (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Hornsby 1996), (Pedler & Ragless 1978).
In the desert sand-ridge country of Western Australia, red-browed pardalotes forage in the upper story of bloodwoods and marble gums dispersed amongst sand dunes (Pianka & Pianka 1970). They have also been recorded in bloodwood-banksia, low–acacia and eucalypt–paperbark woodlands, mulga, acacia shrublands, spinifex plains and grasslands (Badman 1979), (Cody 1991), (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Rix 1970). Red-browed pardalotes may also inhabit sand dunes, rocky outcrops, valleys and floodplains (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Behaviour
Foraging and diet
Red-browed pardalotes are sedentary (Blakers, Davies & Reilly 1985) and hold foraging territories throughout the year (Schodde & Tidemann 1986). They are usually seen singly, in pairs or small groups of up to five or six birds (Higgins & Peter 2002). They are arboreal and spend most of their time foraging in the foliage of eucalypt trees (Woinarski 1985). Their 'scoop-shaped' bill is used to glean insects and lerps (exudates of psyllids) from the leaf surface (Schodde & Mason 1999), (Woinarski 1984). Lerps are a major food source for pardalotes providing sugar and carbohydrates (Woinarski 1984). They also consume arthropods, beetles (Coleoptera species), gum leaf beetle (Paropsis species), flies, mosquitoes, flowerflies, leafhoppers, shield bugs, psyllids, bees, ants, wasps and vegetable matter (Barker & Vestjens 1990).
Breeding
The red-browed pardalote breeds between July and December and after rainfall in arid zones (Schodde & Tidemann 1986). Pairs are monogamous and maintain breeding territories (Higgins & Peter 2002), (Schodde & Tidemann 1986). Both the male and female excavate a tunnel 6–122cm long and a nesting chamber 10–12.7cm deep, 6.3–10cm wide and 14.0cm high. This can be found in a range of locations, including sandy banks, gullies, cuttings, sand dunes, sand cliffs or piles of sand and soil (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Red-browed pardalotes may also excavate the burrows of kangaroo rats (Potoroidae), hopping mice (Notomys) and bilbies (Macrotis lagotis) (Higgins & Peter 2002). They occasionally nest in tree hollows, spouts or hollow branches (Costello 1981), (Parsons 1921). A bird was once recorded nesting halfway down an iron pipe that was set upright in the ground (Campbell 1921).
Nests may be constructed of strips of bark, horsehair and are lined with fine grass or bark and shaped into a rounded cup within the excavated chamber (Campbell 1909), (Higgins & Peter 2002). A clutch of up to four white, oval, semi-glossy eggs measuring 19mm x 15mm are laid (Beruldsen 1980). The incubation period is unknown, however both sexes incubate the eggs. Chicks are altricial and are fed by both adults (Higgins & Peter 2002).
Conservation status
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has categorised the red-browed pardalote as a species of least concern. Although its population size has not been quantified, the species is common throughout its range, and its population is considered to be stable.[1]
Related Research Articles
Pardalotes or peep-wrens are a family, Pardalotidae, of very small, brightly coloured birds native to Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. This family is composed of four species in one genus, Pardalotus, and several subspecies. The name derives from a Greek word meaning "spotted". The family once contained several other species now split into the family Acanthizidae.
The blue-faced honeyeater, also colloquially known as the bananabird, is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family, Meliphagidae. It is the only member of its genus, and it is most closely related to honeyeaters of the genus Melithreptus. Three subspecies are recognised. At around 29.5 cm (11.6 in) in length, the blue-faced species is large for a honeyeater. Its plumage is distinctive, with olive upperparts, white underparts, and a black head and throat with white nape and cheeks. Males and females are similar in external appearance. Adults have a blue area of bare skin on each side of the face readily distinguishing them from juveniles, which have yellow or green patches of bare skin.
The spotted pardalote is one of the smallest of all Australian birds at 8 to 10 centimetres in length, and one of the most colourful; it is sometimes known as the diamondbird. Although moderately common in all of the reasonably fertile parts of Australia it is seldom seen closely enough to enable identification.
Meliphagoidea is a superfamily of passerine birds. They contain a vast diversity of small to mid-sized songbirds widespread in the Austropacific region. The Australian Continent has the largest richness in genera and species.
The eastern spinebill is a species of honeyeater found in south-eastern Australia in forest and woodland areas, as well as gardens in urban areas of Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Hobart. It is around 15 cm long, and has a distinctive black, white and chestnut plumage, a red eye, and a long downcurved bill.
The scarlet myzomela or scarlet honeyeater is a small passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to Australia. It was first described by English ornithologist John Latham in 1801. At 9 to 11 cm long, it is the smallest honeyeater in Australia. It has a short tail and relatively long down-curved bill. It is sexually dimorphic; the male is a striking bright red with black wings, while the female is entirely brown. The species is more vocal than most honeyeaters, and a variety of calls have been recorded, including a bell-like tinkling.
The white-naped honeyeater is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to eastern Australia. Birds from southwestern Australia have been shown to be a distinct species, Gilbert's honeyeater, and the eastern birds are more closely related to the black-headed honeyeater of Tasmania. One of several similar species of black-headed honeyeaters in the genus Melithreptus, it dwells in dry sclerophyll eucalypt woodland. Its diet consists of nectar from various flowers, and it also feeds on insects.
The white-cheeked honeyeater inhabits the east coast and the south-west corner of Australia. It has a large white patch on its cheek, brown eyes, and a yellow panel on its wing.
The yellow-tufted honeyeater is a passerine bird found in the south-east ranges of Australia. A predominantly black and yellow honeyeater, it is split into four subspecies.
The black honeyeater is a species of bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. The black honeyeater exhibits sexual dimorphism, with the male being black and white while the female is a speckled grey-brown; immature birds look like the female. The species is endemic to Australia, and ranges widely across the arid areas of the continent, through open woodland and shrubland, particularly in areas where the emu bush and related species occur.
The grey honeyeater is a species of bird in the honeyeater family. It is an uncommon and little-known bird, an often overlooked endemic of remote areas in central Australia.
The bristlebirds are a family of passerine birds, Dasyornithidae. There are three species in one genus, Dasyornis. The family is endemic to the south-east coast and south-west corner of Australia. The genus Dasyornis was sometimes placed in the Acanthizidae or, as a subfamily, Dasyornithinae, along with the Acanthizinae and Pardalotinae, within an expanded Pardalotidae, before being elevated to full family level by Christidis & Boles (2008).
The western yellow robin is a species of bird in the Australasian robin family, Petroicidae, native to Australia. Described by John Gould in 1838, the western yellow robin and its Australian relatives are not closely related to either the European or American robins, but they appear to be an early offshoot of the Passerida group of songbirds. Ranging between 13.5 and 15.5 cm long, it has grey upperparts, and a grey breast and head, broken by whitish streaks near the bill and below the eye, with a conspicuous yellow belly. The sexes are similar in appearance. Two subspecies are recognized: subspecies griseogularis, which has a yellow rump, and subspecies rosinae with an olive-green rump.
The yellow-throated honeyeater is a species of passerine bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is similar in behaviour and appearance to the white-eared honeyeater and is endemic to Australia's island state of Tasmania. It was formerly considered a pest of orchards.
The hooded robin is a small passerine bird native to Australia. Like many brightly coloured robins of the Petroicidae, it is sexually dimorphic; the male bears a distinctive black-and-white plumage, while the female is a nondescript grey-brown.
The black-chinned honeyeater is a species of passerine bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is endemic to Australia. Two subspecies are recognised. Its natural habitats are temperate forests and subtropical or tropical dry forests.
The strong-billed honeyeater is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae. It is one of two species of the genus Melithreptus endemic to Tasmania. Its natural habitat is temperate forest.
The leaden flycatcher is a species of passerine bird in the family Monarchidae. Around 15 cm (6 in) in length, the male is lustrous azure with white underparts, while the female possesses leaden head, mantle and back and rufous throat and breast. It is found in eastern and northern Australia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical mangrove forests in the northern parts of its range, in the south and inland it is eucalypt woodland.
Gilbert's honeyeater, also known as the Swan River honeyeater or western white-naped honeyeater, is a passerine bird of the honeyeater family Meliphagidae native to southwestern Australia. A mid-sized honeyeater, it is olive-green above and white below, with a black head, nape and throat and a white patch over the eye and a white crescent-shaped patch on the nape. The bill is brownish-black and the eyes a dull red. The sexes have similar plumage.
The purple-backed fairywren is a fairywren that is native to Australia. Described by Alfred John North in 1901, it has four recognised subspecies. In a species that exhibits sexual dimorphism, the brightly coloured breeding male has chestnut shoulders and azure crown and ear coverts, while non-breeding males, females and juveniles have predominantly grey-brown plumage, although females of two subspecies have mainly blue-grey plumage. Distributed over much of the Australian continent, the purple-backed fairywren is found in scrubland with plenty of vegetation providing dense cover.
Christidis, L.; Boles, W.E. (2008), Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds, Collingwood, Australia: CSIRO Publishing
Cody, M.L. (1991), "Distributional notes from southwest and northeast Australia", The Sunbird, 21: 1–9
Costello, J (1981), "Birds observed in the Mungindi area", Australian Bird Watcher, 9: 5–67
Driskell, A.C.; Christidis, L. (2004), "Phylogeny and evolution of the Australo-Papuan honeyeaters ( Passeriformes, Meliphagidae)", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 31 (3): 943–960, doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.10.017, PMID15120392
Higgins, P. J; Peter, J.M (2002), Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds, vol.6: Pardalotes to Shrike-thrushes, Melbourne: Oxford University Press
Hornsby, P. (1996), "Red-browed Pardalotes Pardalotus Rubricatus within the Flinders Ranges", South Australian Ornithologist, 32: 86–87
Parsons, F.E. (1921), "Notes on a motor trip from Adelaide to Western Queensland", South Australian Ornithologist, 6: 12–23
Pedler, L.P.; Ragless, G.B. (1978), "Birds observed near lakes Frome and Callabonna", South Australian Ornithologist, 27: 274–276
Pianka, H.D.; Pianka, E.R. (1970), "Bird censuses from desert localities in Western Australia", Emu, 70: 17–22, doi:10.1071/mu970017
Schodde, R.; Tidemann, S. (1986), Reader's Digest Complete Book of Australian Birds, Sydney: Reader's Digest Services, ISBN0-949819-99-9
Rix, C.E. (1970), "Birds of the Northern Territory", South Australian Ornithologist, 25: 147–90
Schodde, R.; Mason, I.J (1999), Directory of Australian birds: passerines, Australia: CSIRO Publishing
Simpson, K.; Day, N.; Trusler, P. (1999), The Claremont Field Guide to the Birds of Australia (6thed.), Australia: Penguin
Woinarski, J.C.Z (1984), "Small birds, lerp-feeding and the problem of honeyeaters", Emu, 84 (3): 137–141, doi:10.1071/mu9840137
Woinarski, J.C.Z. (1985), Keast; etal. (eds.), Foliage gleaners of the tree tops, the pardalotes: In Birds of the Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands, Sydney: Surrey Beatty, pp.165–175
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
