The Spotted Pardalote makes a three-note whistle, the second two notes higher than the first. They are one of Australia's smallest birds.

They live in eucalypt forests and woodlands and are often found in parks and gardens with well-established eucalypt canopies.

They forage on the foliage of trees for insects and excavate tunnels for nesting. Both parents share nest-building, incubation of the eggs and feeding of the young.