A comparison of the ground-nesting of two species of pardalote

Abstract

Fifty-eight nests of the Eastern Striated Pardalote Pardalotus ornatus and the Spotted Pardalote P. punctatus were studied in north-eastern Victoria. P. ornatus nests in the subsoil where it is unprotected by surrounding vegetation. The entrances of its nests face south, lessening penetration by sunlight. P. punctatus nests in the topsoil where the nesting burrow is shaded by vegetation. The size of the entrance of nests of P. ornatus probably decreases with increasing altitude. The two species are probably influenced in choosing sites of nests by microclimate, predation and ease of construction.