Papuan Logrunner Orthonyx novaeguineae Scientific name definitions

18·5 cm; male 53–75 g, female 47–58 g. Male nominate race has supercilium and side of face grey, crown dark rufous-brown with darker feather edgings (creating scalloped effect); nape, mantle and back dark brown, each feather broadly edged with black on one web and with pale shaft streak (producing mottled appearance), rump dark rufous-brown; upperwing-coverts black with broad pale grey tips (forming two wingbars); remiges grey-brown, becoming dark brown towards base, primaries with small buff spot on margin of leading web (forming wingbar on closed wing), secondaries with extensive buff-rufous edging, increasing in width inwards, outer web of tertials almost entirely buff-rufous; tail grey-brown; chin, throat and upper breast white with slight black border, breast side extensively dark grey (leaving only reduced white section along mid-line), lower breast and belly white, flanks and undertail-coverts olive-brown and grey; iris dark brown; bill black; legs blackish. ­Female like male, but somewhat brighter on upperparts, and with chin to upper breast orange-rufous, black border often absent. Juvenile is buffy brown above and below, feathers of back broadly edged blackish, feathers of underparts more narrowly dark-edged. Race <em>dorsalis</em> has black margins of upperpart feathers wider and breast side darker grey than nominate; victorianus has darker rump, reduced white below.

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Also (race unknown) in Tari area of EC New Guinea.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Mainly upper montane forest at 1980–2840 m, possibly to 3450 m; locally down to 1200 m in W of range.

Very probably sedentary.

Insects and other invertebrates. Forages on forest floor; few data on behaviour.

Song 4–6 descending repetitive whistled notes , first 2–3 close together, last rather drawn out, as “tee too too too too too” or “tsee too tee tooo”. Also a low “eeee” when disturbed.

Nests with egg in Mar and late Nov, juveniles in Sept and Nov, and male in breeding condition in late Apr. Nest a small, rounded dome with side entrance, built of moss, root fibres and plant stems, with inner lining of thickly woven soft fibres, external diameter c. 12·7 cm, placed on ground. Clutch 1 egg, plain white, 29–33·6 × 22–22·7 mm; no information on incubation and nestling periods.

Not globally threatened. Generally scarce to rare; locally common in NW of range (Vogelkop). True abundance of species difficult to assess, because it is quiet, cryptic, and easily overlooked.