Orthonychidae

Orthonychidae
Orthonychidae
Logrunners
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Suborder: Passeri
Family: Orthonychidae
G.R. Gray, 1840
Genus: Orthonyx
Temminck, 1820
Species
  • Orthonyx novaeguineae
  • Orthonyx temminckii
  • Orthonyx spaldingii

The Orthonychidae is a family of birds with a single genus, Orthonyx, which comprises three species of passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea, the Logrunners and the Chowchilla. Some authorities consider the Australian family Cinclosomatidae to be part of the Orthonychidae. The three species use their stiffened tails to brace themselves when feeding.

The Lesser Melampitta (Melampitta lugubris) may also belong here.

The Australian Logrunner, Orthonyx temminckii, is from south-eastern Australia, where it is very local in its distribution, and strictly terrestrial in its habits. The wings are, however, barred with white, and the chin, throat and breast are in the male pure white, but of a bright reddish-orange in the female. The remiges are very short, rounded and much incurved, showing a bird of weak flight. The rectrices are very broad, the shafts stiff, and towards the tip divested of barbs.[1] The population which is found locally in New Guinea is now generally considered a separate species, the New Guinea Logrunner, Orthonyx novaeguineae.

The Chowchilla, Orthonyx spaldingii, from north-east Queensland is of much greater size than the Logrunner, and with a jet-black plumage, the throat being white in the male and orange-rufous in the female.[1]

Both are semi-terrestrial birds of weak flight, and build a domed nest on or near the ground. Insects and larvae are their chief food, and the males are described as performing dancing antics like those of the lyrebirds.[1]

The fossil record does not much help to determine the affiliations of the Orthonychidae. Three prehistoric species are known to science. The very large Orthonyx hypsilophus from Green Waterhole Cave and an undescribed species found in Pyramids Cave which was a bit smaller than the logrunner are probably of Late Pleistocene age. Orthonyx kaldowinyeri\\[2] is known from Middle or Late Miocene deposits of Riversleigh; it is the oldest and smallest species known to date (Boles, 1993).

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Newton 1911.
  2. ^ Etymology: kaldowinyeri is the Yaralde (Ngarrindjeri) word for "a very long time ago"; this species is the oldest record of the family found to date. Like the bird, the language is nowadays extinct.

References

Attribution

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Orthonychidae — ? Папуасские флейтистовые Orthonyx temminckii Научная классификация …   Википедия

  • Orthonychidae —   Orthonychidae Corretroncos …   Wikipedia Español

  • Orthonychidae — Orthonychidés Orthonyx temminckii …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Orthonychidae — čaučiliniai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Orthonychidae angl. logrunners vok. Laufflöter rus. флейтистовые ryšiai: platesnis terminas – tikrieji giesmininkai siauresnis terminas – čaučilos …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • Папуасские флейтистовые — ? Папуасские флейтистовые Orthonyx temminckii Научная классификация Царство: Животные Тип …   Википедия

  • Logrunners — Taxobox name = Logrunners image width = 200px regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Orthonychidae genus = Orthonyx (in part) subdivision ranks = Species subdivision = 2, see text The Logrunners are two… …   Wikipedia

  • Cinclosomatidae — Spotted Quail thrush (Cinclosoma punctatum) Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Corvida — The Corvida were one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri, as proposed in the Sibley Ahlquist taxonomy. Standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder. More recent research suggests that this is not a… …   Wikipedia

  • List of birds of Papua New Guinea — This is a list of the bird species recorded in Papua New Guinea. The avifauna of Papua New Guinea includes a total of 781 species, of which 76 are endemic, one has been introduced by humans, and 18 are rare or accidental. 28 species are globally… …   Wikipedia

  • Greater Melampitta — Conservation status Least Concern (IUCN 3.1) Scientific classification Kin …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”