DIAMONDBIRD

also called Pardalote, any of several songbirds of the family Dicaeidae (order Passeriformes) with a simple tongue and a thickish, unserrated bill. Most of the seven or eight species, of the genus Pardalotus, which are confined to Australia, have gemlike white spangles on the dark upper parts; all are tiny and stub-tailed. Diamondbirds glean insects from leaves and bark. They nest in tree holes, in crannies of buildings, or in tunnels dug in sandbanks or level ground. The spotted diamondbird (P. punctatus), with yellow throat and rump, digs tunnels.