Australian Logrunner

Overview

The Australian logrunner (Orthonyx temminckii) is a passerine bird endemic to eastern Australia. It is classified as a species of Least Concern by the IUCN Red List.

Identification

• Reddish-brown head and back with mainly black wings and a dark brown tail.
• White throat, breast, and abdomen in males, but an orange-rufous throat in females.
• Distinctive stiffened tail feathers with protruding rachis that resemble spines.
• Males are larger than females.

Habitat

Found in south-eastern Australia from the Illawarra district in New South Wales to the Bunya Mountains in Queensland. It inhabits the leafy floors of rainforests rich with scattered logs, forest debris, ferns, vines, and saplings.

Diet

The diet consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates found on the forest floor. It forages by propping against its spiny tail and scraping or throwing leaf debris aside with its feet to expose the soil.

Did you know?

The bird's unique foraging technique leaves distinctive 'soup-plate' depressions in the forest debris, which are approximately 150 mm in diameter.