pardalote

English
A spotted pardalote, Pardalotus punctatus

Noun

pardalote (plural pardalotes)

  1. Any of the Australian birds of the family Pardalotidae, which feed on lerps.
    • 2011, Penny Olsen, Leo Joseph, Stray Feathers: Reflections on the Structure, Behaviour and Evolution of Birds, CSIRO Publishing, page 258,
      Pardalotes, honeyeaters and thornbills are among several birds that feed on carbohydrate-rich sugars from trees: manna, the crystalline sap which oozes from injuries to trees made by insects or other animals; honeydew, the exudate of sap-sucking coccids and aphids; and lerps, the protective sugary coating of psyllid larvae.
    • 2011, Ian Fraser, Peter Marsack, A Bush Capital Year: A Natural History of the Canberra Region, page 137,
      They are pardalotes, tiny little feathered jewels with stubby bills and stubby tails, giving an oddly ladybird-like silhouette.
    • 2016 March 12, Mining bird farms trees for manna, New Scientist, Issue 3064, page 16,
      The forty-spotted pardalote (Pardalotus quadragintus) is the first Australian bird found to encourage trees to release manna, a sugary crystallised sap.

Synonyms

See also
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