pardalote, (genus Pardalotus), any of four species of Australian songbirds of the family Pardalotidae (order Passeriformes), with a simple tongue and a thickish, unserrated bill. Three of the four species have gemlike white spangles on the dark upper parts (the striated pardalote [Pardalotus striatus] does not). All pardalotes are tiny and stub-tailed. Pardalotes glean insects from leaves and bark. They nest in tree holes or in crannies of buildings. The spotted pardalote (P. punctatus), with a yellow throat and rump, digs tunnels in sandbanks or in level ground.