Conservation and management of the Endangered forty-spotted pardalote through “self-fumigation” of nests - Factsheet

The forty-spotted pardalote has undergone major declines and is now Endangered. Larvae of the parasitic fly (Passeromyia longicornis) is the primary cause of nesting failure, killing most chicks in some areas and severely hampering recovery efforts. If not addressed, this parasite could lead to the extinction of the species. Our previous research has shown that spraying pardalote nests with a bird-safe insecticide can improve chick survival, but finding and accessing forty-spotted pardalote nests is logistically difficult.