Orthonychidae
Encyclopedia
The Orthonychidae is a family
of bird
s 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. 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.
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 lyrebird
s.
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\\
is known from Middle or Late Miocene
deposits of Riversleigh
; it is the oldest and smallest species known to date (Boles, 1993).
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s with a single genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Orthonyx, which comprises three species of passerine
Passerine
A passerine is a bird of the order Passeriformes, which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines form one of the most diverse terrestrial vertebrate orders: with over 5,000 identified species, it has roughly...
birds endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, the Logrunners and the Chowchilla
Chowchilla
Chowchilla may refer to:* Chowchilla, a bird * Chowchilla, California, city in Madera County, California, USA** Chowchilla Airport** The kidnapping of a bus of children which took place in, and was named for, Chowchilla...
. Some authorities consider the Australian family Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae
Cinclosomatidae is a family of passerine birds native to Australia and nearby areas. It has a complicated taxonomic history and different authors vary in which birds they include in the family. It includes at least the quail-thrushes , 5 species of ground-dwelling birds found in Australia and New...
to be part of the Orthonychidae. The three species use their stiffened tails to brace themselves when feeding.
The Lesser Melampitta
Lesser Melampitta
The Lesser Melampitta, Melampitta lugubris, is a medium-sized enigmatic terrestrial songbird of mountain forests of New Guinea. It is now classify as a member of the family Orthonychidae by Birdlife International, but in some other sources it is variously considered close to or in the...
(Melampitta lugubris) may also belong here.
The Australian Logrunner
Australian Logrunner
The Australian Logrunner is a species of bird in the Orthonychidae family. It is endemic to eastern Australia...
, 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. The population which is found locally in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
is now generally considered a separate species, the New Guinea Logrunner
New Guinea Logrunner
The Papuan Logrunner or New Guinea Logrunner is a species of bird in the Orthonychidae family. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Australian Logrunner.It is found in New Guinea....
, Orthonyx novaeguineae.
The Chowchilla
Chowchilla
Chowchilla may refer to:* Chowchilla, a bird * Chowchilla, California, city in Madera County, California, USA** Chowchilla Airport** The kidnapping of a bus of children which took place in, and was named for, Chowchilla...
, Orthonyx spaldingii, from north-east Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
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.
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 lyrebird
Lyrebird
A Lyrebird is either of two species of ground-dwelling Australian birds, that form the genus, Menura, and the family Menuridae. They are most notable for their superb ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds from their environment. Lyrebirds have unique plumes of neutral coloured...
s.
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
Late Pleistocene
The Late Pleistocene is a stage of the Pleistocene Epoch. The beginning of the stage is defined by the base of the Eemian interglacial phase before the final glacial episode of the Pleistocene 126,000 ± 5,000 years ago. The end of the stage is defined exactly at 10,000 Carbon-14 years BP...
age. Orthonyx kaldowinyeri\\
is known from Middle or Late Miocene
Miocene
The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
deposits of Riversleigh
Riversleigh
Riversleigh, in North West Queensland, is Australia's most famous fossil site. The 100 km² area has fossil remains of ancient mammals, birds and reptiles of Oligocene and Miocene age...
; it is the oldest and smallest species known to date (Boles, 1993).
External links
- Orthonychidae videos on the Internet Bird Collection