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Orthonychidae
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Orthonychidae

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Orthonychidae is a clade of passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. It encompasses the genus Orthonyx, (from Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós), meaning "straight", and ὄνυξ (ónux), meaning "claw") including 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.

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Encyclopedic overview

10 sections
Contents
  • Taxonomy
  • Species
  • Description
  • Behaviour and ecology
  • Social structure and breeding
  • Lifespan
  • Distribution
  • References
  • Bibliography
  • External links

Orthonychidae is a clade of passerine birds endemic to Australia and New Guinea. It encompasses the genus Orthonyx, (from Ancient Greek ὀρθός (orthós), meaning "straight", and ὄνυξ (ónux), meaning "claw") including 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 Australian logrunner, Orthonyx temminckii, is from northeastern New South Wales and southeast Queensland, where it is very local in its distribution, and strictly terrestrial in its habits. The wings are 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 Papuan logrunner, Orthonyx novaeguineae.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Orthonychidae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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