Australian Field Ornithology 2016, 33, 116–118 http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo33116118

Observations of the food brought to young at a nest of the Striated Pardalotus striatus

David S. Thurley

9 Blair Court, Glenroy NSW 2641, Email: [email protected]

Abstract. The habit of the Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus of often foraging high above the ground and its being small in size and difficult to detect mean that few detailed observations have been made of the diet of this . Here I report observations of food items taken to a nest on the patio of a house. The observations show that the adults feed their chicks a diet rich in lerps soon after hatching but with increasing quantities of insects as the chicks develop.

Introduction season showed it to be constructed of fine grasses with few or no feathers and little other leaf matter. Little has been documented about the diet of the Striated Pardalote Pardalotus striatus. In a study of the diet of Methods on Bruny Island, Tasmania, manna (a sugary General observations were made over the 5-year period exudate produced by plants) was the main food item since the Striated Pardalotes first began nesting in the seen taken to the young, particularly by Forty-spotted hanging basket. More thorough observations were made P. quadragintus and Spotted Pardalotes P. punctatus, on the feeding behaviour during the rearing of the third whereas the Striated Pardalote took a substantial brood in the 2014–2015 breeding season, commencing proportion of caterpillars and flies (Woinarski & Bulman on 1 February 2015. The had become accustomed 1984). Leah & Gray (1936) reported details of food items to human presence so observations could be made as from stomach contents of 25 individual Striated Pardalotes they alighted on the hanging chain of one planter pot and found insect fragments, small moths, beetles, lerp before entering the nearby nest. I observed the birds scales, caterpillars and spiders. opportunistically during 18 separate periods spread throughout the day, with a total observation time of Another study reported that the Black-headed Pardalote 1076 minutes. The earliest observations started at 0823 h P. s. melanocephalus fed “almost entirely on a type of and the latest ended at 1947 h. No records of temperature white scale insect although occasionally some winged or weather conditions were kept. insects would be collected” (Bell 1959, p. 134). The ‘white scale insect’ was almost certainly lerp (the sugary exudate produced by sap-sucking psyllids). Higgins & Peter (2002, Observations and discussion p. 74) stated that the food of Striated Pardalotes consists Lerps and manna could be identified by their white colour, of “Mainly arthropods and their products especially lerp of but not always clearly differentiated, when an adult psyllids” but there are few detailed studies. Striated Pardalote alighted on a nearby hanging chain and The observations reported in the present study represent surveyed the surroundings for 10–30 seconds before going a contribution to an otherwise relatively limited information to the nest (Figure 1). It was usually not possible to identify base concerning the diet of the South-eastern Striated insects because of their small size, although occasionally Pardalote P. s. ornatus. the wings and legs of wasp-like insects could be clearly discerned in the Pardalote’s beak (Figure 2). On a few occasions, a small caterpillar was carried. It appeared that Study area and methods usually a single food item was carried on each visit.

In breeding seasons before 2014–2015, two broods of Study area Striated Pardalotes had been observed, but in the 2014– The observations occurred at a house at Glenroy (36°02′S, 2015 season three broods of fledglings were observed— on 31 October 2014, 22 December 2014 and 18 February 146°55′E), a northern suburb of Albury, New South Wales, 2015. This gives an interval of 52 days between fledging and situated within ~100 m of eucalypt woodland on part of the first and second broods and 58 days between the of the Black Range. The predominant trees are Grey Box second and third broods. This is consistent with reported Eucalyptus microcarpa and Yellow Box E. melliodora. incubation periods of 14–16 days and nestling periods The observations were made from the house patio at a of 21–28 days, with an interval between breeding of distance of 1.5–2 m from the nest, which was constructed 8–14 days (Woinarski & Bulman 1985). ~2 m above the ground in a hanging basket planter pot. The adult Striated Pardalotes entering the nest perched Detailed observations of the third brood are noted below momentarily on the chain of a nearby planter pot, thus and in Table 1: allowing brief observation of the food being carried in the 8–12 January 2015. Three Pardalotes were flying around beak. Examination of the nest at the end of the breeding the nest area and performing wing displays. Striated Pardalote breeding diet 117

Figure 1. Striated Pardalote with lerps. Photo: David S. Figure 2. Striated Pardalote with insect. Photo: David S. Thurley Thurley

Table 1. Number of food items brought to a nest by adult Striated Pardalotes, Albury, New South Wales, February 2015. Only one type of food—lerp(s) or an insect—was brought in each feeding visit. It was not always possible to distinguish between lerps and manna because of the rapid flight of the birds as they entered the nest; on a few occasions, it is likely that the food was manna because of the large size of the white mass.

Date (day in Observations Feeding visits Feb.) Time (h) Duration (min.) Total no. No. with lerp(s) No. with an % with lerp(s) insect 1 1838–1903 25 12 7 5 58

2 0848–0949 61 16 10 6 63

2 1354–1506 72 14 9 5 64

3 0831–0931 60 26 16 10 62

3 1836–1942 66 13 8 5 62

4 1408–1507 59 13 8 5 62

5 1355–1456 61 16 7 9 44

5 1852–1934 42 11 4 7 36

6 1637–1736 59 9 5 4 56

7 1428–1530 62 17 6 11 35

8 0925–1025 60 17 10 7 59

9 1226–1325 59 11 3 8 27

10 1231–1332 61 16 6 10 38

11 0843–0943 60 17 8 9 47

12 0823–0924 61 27 8 19 30

15 0857–0957 60 17 7 10 41

15 1849–1947 59 8 3 5 38

16 0823–0923 60 17 9 8 53 118 Australian Field Ornithology D.S. Thurley

to the nest increased over the nestling period (Spearman r = 0.65, P <0.01). Sometimes an adult brought several lerps to the nest in a single feeding visit (Figure 1), and the sizes of insects varied considerably. Manna might have been brought to the nest on a few occasions. Some insects were so small that they were barely visible, but on other occasions the wings and legs of larger prey could be seen clearly protruding from the adult’s beak (Figure 2). A 1–2-cm caterpillar was observed on one occasion. This study adds to evidence that lerps are a staple food of pardalotes, as proposed by Woinarski (1985), and that the adults feed their chicks a diet rich in lerps soon after hatching but with increasing quantities of insects as the chicks develop.

Acknowledgements I acknowledge the encouragement and assistance of Dr Tim Low in undertaking these observations and preparing this paper. Figure 3. Fledgling Striated Pardalote soon after leaving nest. Photo: David S. Thurley References Bell, H.L. (1959). Some observations on the Black-headed 13–22 January. Adults entered and left the nest on frequent Pardalote in the Brisbane area. Emu 59, 131–135. occasions, but no food was observed. Higgins, P.J. & Peter, J.M. (Eds) (2002). Handbook of Australian, New Zealand & Antarctic Birds, Volume 6: Pardalotes to 31 January. There were audible chick noises as an adult Shrike-thrushes. Oxford University Press, Melbourne. returned to the nest with food. Lea, A.H. & Gray, T.J. (1936). The food of Australian birds: An 1 February. Detailed observations commenced; see analysis of the stomach contents. Emu 35, 251–280. Woinarski, J.C.Z. (1985). Foliage gleaners of the treetops, Table 1. the pardalotes. In: Keast, J.A., Recher, H.F., Ford H.A. & 16 February. First chick fledged, c. 1030 h (Figure 3). Saunders, D. (Eds). Birds of Eucalypt Forests and Woodlands: Ecology, Conservation, Management, pp. 165–175. Surrey 17 February. Second chick fledged, c. 0900 h. Beatty & Sons, Sydney. Woinarski, J.C.Z. & Bulman C. (1985). Ecology and breeding A total of 277 feeding visits was observed. Visits occurred biology of the Forty- and other pardalotes on average every 3–6 minutes, and the adult remained on North Bruny Island. Emu 85, 106–120. in the nest for an estimated 9–15 seconds. Lerps were brought to the chicks on 49% of feeding visits, but this varied during observation periods from a maximum of 64% Received 16 May 2015, accepted 28 July 2015, to a minimum of 27%. The proportion of insects brought published online 4 August 2016