Emu

A hollow to call home

Monday 3 February, 2025
The Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority is highlighting the importance of tree hollows for wildlife in its 2025 Year of the Tree Hollow community awareness campaign.

This month, the tiny Striated Pardalote (Pardalotus striatus), one of Australia’s four species of pardalote, is featured.

Goulburn Broken CMA project officer, Janice Mentiplay-Smith, said that for such a small bird, pardalotes were noisy and often heard before they were seen.

“Straited Pardalotes are just eight to 10cms long. They loudly pop and peck among the high treetops gleaning leaves for sugary lerps, sap-sucking psyllids and other tiny insects,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.

“Pardalotes rely on small spaces to build a nest and lay their two to five eggs. Therefore, small tree hollows or spouts (hollow tree branches) make perfect homes.

“Pardalotes will also nest in holes in eroded riverbanks, mounds of earth, tiny gaps in buildings, power pole junction boxes and even rolled up garage doors.”

Breeding occurs from June to February and the responsibility of raising chicks is split between both parents, who together, build the nest, incubate the eggs and feed the chicks.

“As Striated Pardalotes inhabit eucalypt forests and woodlands, the clearing of natural habitat across south-eastern Australia has resulted in the loss of millions of natural hollows that Striated Pardalotes would have one used for nesting,” Ms Mentiplay-Smith said.

“Therefore, every tree with a hollow, even tiny holes of 3-4cm in diameter, are important.

“The diversity of woodland dependent hollow-nesting birds increases by 20 per cent for every 10 large trees present. Striated Pardalotes and other woodland birds are fantastic environmental indicators that help us gauge the health on native bushland.”

Ms Mentiplay-Smith described Striated Pardalotes as mainly homebodies, with studies indicating more than 90 per cent of birds travel less than 10km. However, some outliers have shown movements of 200km or more at times. Pardolotes in Tasmania make regular seasonal movements across the Bass Strait to mix with mainland-breeding populations.

“Straited Pardalotes will inhabit bushland as well as urban areas, so there is plenty scope to help this little bird,” she said.

“Help by making sure your pet cat is contained at all times, for the safety of all wildlife. Exclude livestock from remnant bushland areas to allow natural regeneration to occur and leave fallen timber in situ to provide habitat for pardalotes and other wildlife where they can nest, shelter and feed.”

The Year of the Tree Hollow is supported by the Victorian Government through the Catchment Stewardship Program.

Striated Pardalote by Roy Peachey.

A Striated Pardalote only needs a small hollow, such as this.

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