Pardalotes or
peep-wrens are a
family,
Pardalotidae, of very small, brightly coloured birds native to
Australia, with short tails, strong legs, and stubby blunt beaks. This family is composed of four species in one genus,
Pardalotus, and several
subspecies. The name derives from a Greek word meaning "spotted". The family once contained several other species now split into the family
Acanthizidae.