Australian Logrunner
Orthonyx temminckii
Distinctive, ground-dwelling rainforest bird with reddish-brown back, gray face, black wings with bold white wingbars, strong legs and feet. Females have black-bordered orange throat, males white, both with gray sides and white underparts. Difficult to observe, although in some areas habituated to hikers. Forages in rainforest leaf litter, usually in pairs or small groups. Squeaking calls, given at dawn and dusk, recall sounds of Guinea Pigs.
Identification
Logrunners as a group are characterised by their distinctive tail feathers where the rachis (or central shafts) of the tail feathers protrude and are stiffened. The broad tail of the bird is less than four inches (10 cm) in length and the strong protruding rachis at the ends of the tail feathers are almost void of the usual barbs, giving the feather the appearance of spines. This appearance gives rise to some of the common names for the bird such as spine-tail or spine-tailed logrunner.<p>There appears to be some debate about the number of tail feathers possessed by the Australian logrunner. For example, some references state that the logrunner only has 10 tail feathers whilst other references describe the bird as having 12 tail feathers. Most birds are described as having 12 tail feathers but there are notable exceptions to this.<p>The logrunner is not unique in having atypical tail feather structures. Other birds, such as the greater melampitta (Melampitta gigantea), also have spiny and stiffened tail feathers, but not to the same extent as the logrunner. Birds such as creepers, woodpeckers, swifts and penguins are also known to use their modified tail feathers as braces and supports.<p>The logrunner's head and back are a reddish-brown colour; the wings are mainly black; and the tail is dark brown. The wing-coverts are tipped with grey and the eyebrow and ear-coverts grey. The throat, breast and abdomen feathers are white. In the female, the throat is an orange-rufous colour. The male is also larger than the female.
Taxonomy
The Australian logrunner is a Passeriform in the family Orthonychidae. It is one of only three species within the Orthonyx genus; the other two are the chowcilla (Orthonyx spaldingii) from northern Queensland and the New Guinean logrunner (Orthonyx novaeguineae) from Papua New Guinea.
- Scientific name
- Orthonyx temminckii
- Authority
- Ranzani, 1822
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Orthonychidae
- Genus
- Orthonyx
Range and habitat
The Australian logrunner is found in South Eastern Australia from the Illawarra district in NSW to the Bunya Mountains in Queensland. Its preferred habitat is characterised by the leafy floor of rainforests, rich with scattered logs, forest debris, ferns, vines and saplings.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The most characteristic behaviour of the logrunner is its foraging technique that involves the bird propping against its spiny tail and then scrapping or throwing leaf debris aside with its feet. Once the larger debris is removed, logrunners then use their tail as a brace and scratch the exposed soil looking for food. This scratching leaves 'soup-plate' depressions in the debris that are about 150 mm in diameter.<p>The sideways sweeping action of the legs whilst foraging is unique to logrunners and is possible due to the distinctive structure of the logrunner's pelvis and hind legs. The pelvis is short and broad and the femur is stout with strongly developed projections that support the attachment of the strong muscles needed to support its foraging technique.<p>Logrunners are described as noisy birds with performances of loud songs and calls, especially in the mornings. These songs and calls are believed to have either a territorial or sexual function.
Conservation
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-crested Warbler
Myiothlypis nigrocristata
Small yellow warbler found in the understory of Andean forest and scrub from around 2,500-3,500m. Olive above and brighter yellow below, with bright yellow eyebrow and black crown. Sexes similar. Compare with Citrine Warbler, which does not show a black crown. Fairly common. Pairs forage low, often among mixed-species flocks, where they can be difficult to spot among the dense scrub and bamboo. Frequently detected by accelerating series of musical chips.
Southern Hyliota
Hyliota australis
Mid-sized, generic-looking warbler-like bird. Males have a matte black back, a white wing patch, and very pale yellowish underparts. Females are similar, but browner on the back. Found mainly in broadleaf savanna, and locally in humid forest. Usually in pairs or small groups, which will join mixed-species feeding flocks. The quiet vocalizations include chatty calls and trills. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Hyliota. In most of the range, Southern males distinguished by the smaller white patch on the wing, and females by their browner upperparts. In Uganda and Kenya, males are extremely similar, but Southern can still be recognized by its non-glossy black back.
Mottle-cheeked Tyrannulet
Phylloscartes ventralis
Small olive-yellow flycatcher with a long slender tail, which is often held cocked. Olive above and yellow below with a pale eyebrow, a white chin, and two pale wingbars. Found in montane forests including Araucaria forests, where it forages actively in the middle and upper layers of the forest often with mixed-species flocks. The song is short and high-pitched.
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