Back-scratching Pardalote

Here are the photos, from yesterday, of the second Straited Pardalote in my backyard. Honestly, until I started working with the images, I thought it was a female doing a courtship dance. Now, I believe it was using the lilac twigs for a back scratch.

In my Slater’s field guide, it mentions the different types of Striated Pardalote will interbreed. Identification is aided by counting how many feathers are tipped with white, the colour of the rump, and the wing spot. The colouring on this one is fascinating – even without seeing the brilliant yellow on its face and breast.

Thanks for looking!

🙂