PARDALOTUS MELANOCEPHALUS,Gould.Black-headed Pardalote.
Pardalotus melanocephalus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., part v. p. 149; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part IV.
I have received numerous examples of this species from Moreton Bay, where it probably takes the place of theP. striatus, from which it is distinguished by the black colouring of its head and by its thicker bill, but to which it is very nearly allied, as well as to theP. uropygialis; it is in fact directly intermediate between the two, having the black head of the latter without the yellow colouring of the rump. There is no external difference in the sexes.
Nothing whatever is known of its history.
Crown of the head, lores and ear-coverts black; over each eye a stripe commencing at the nostrils, the anterior half of which is orange, and the posterior white; sides of the face and neck white; back of the neck and back olive-grey; upper tail-coverts brownish buff; tail black, each feather tipped with white; wings blackish brown, the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh primaries white; secondaries edged and tipped with white; one of the wing-coverts broadly margined on the inner web with white, forming an oblique line across the shoulder; spurious wing tipped with crimson; line down the centre of the throat, the breast and middle of the abdomen bright yellow; vent and under tail-coverts buff; hill black; feet brown.
The figures are of the natural size.