New Guinea logrunner

Orthonyx novaeguineae

TAXONOMY

Orthonyx novae guineae Meyer, 1874, Arfak Mountains, New Guinea. Three subspecies.

OTHER COMMON NAMES

French: Orthonyx de Nouvelle Guinée; German: Neuguineaflöter; Spanish: Corretroncos de Nueva Guinea.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

7.3 in (18.5 cm); female 0.10–0.13 lb (47–58 g), male 0.12–0.17 lb (53–75g). Similar to southern longrenner.

DISTRIBUTION

Scattered localities in mountains of New Guinea between 6,500–9,300 ft (1,980–2,840 m), probably up to 11,300 ft (3,450 m); occurs locally as low as 3,900 ft (1,200 m) in Irian Jaya. O. n. novaeguineae: northwestern New Guinea; O. n. dorsalis: western central New Guinea;O. n. victoriana: eastern New Guinea.

HABITAT

Mainly upper montane forest.

BEHAVIOR

Terrestrial. Quiet, cryptic, and easily overlooked. Usually seen in pairs or small parties of three or four birds. Song is series of four to six descending notes.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET

Scratches in ground litter for insects and other invertebrates.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY

The nest is a small dome of moss, root fibers, and plant stems, about 5 in (12.5 cm) wide placed on the ground. Nests with a single white egg found in March and November.

CONSERVATION STATUS

Generally scarce to rare, although not considered a threatened species.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS

None known.