Needletail chauchilla [1] ( lat. Orthonyx temminckii ) is a species of bird endemic to eastern Australia. He is known for his unique method of collecting food and unusual adaptations to the search for prey in the litter of temperate, subtropical or tropical moist forests of the lowland part of the southeast of Australia. The genus Orthonyx was described by the Dutch naturalist Temcink in 1820 [2] , two years later игa-tailed chauchille gave a specific name in honor of Temmink Italian researcher Camilio Ranzani [3] . Until recently, the pinewood chauchilla was considered conspecific with the New Guinea species Orthonyx novaeguineae AB Meyer, 1874, but now it is shown that these species differ significantly.
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This species has several colloquial English names, some of which vividly reflect its specific adaptations: Australian Logrunner (literally “Australian log runner” or “log pile”), Spine-tailed Logrunner (literally “needletail log”), Spine-tail ("needletail" ), Scrub Quail ("bush quail") and Chowchilla ("chauchilla") [4] .
Content
Systematics
Pintail chauchilla belongs to the Orbonychidae order family Orthonychidae [5] . It is one of only three species of the single genus Orthonyx . The other two are the black-headed chauchilla ( Orthonyx spaldingii ) from northern Queensland and the Orthonyx novaeguineae from Papua New Guinea [6] .
Description
Chauchilla as a group differs from other birds in the characteristic structure of the tail feathers, which have powerful rods [7] . The wide tail has a length of about 10 cm, and strong and powerful rods protruding at the ends of the steering, almost devoid of ordinary beards, which gives the pen a kind of spikes [4] . Such a structure of the helmsman is reflected in the name of this species - pintail chauchilla.
There is no consensus among experts on the number of tail feathers in в лох ’hawk’ tails. For example, in some sources it is claimed that chauchilla has only 10 helmsmen [8] , while in others they indicate the presence of 12 steering feathers in this species [9] . Most birds have 12 helmsmen, but there are some exceptions [10] .
Chauchilla is not unique in that it has a tail structure that is not typical for birds. Other species, such as the ( Melampitta gigantea ), also have protruding and pointed rods of steering feathers, but not to the same extent as chauchilla [11] . Birds such as woodworms , woodpeckers , swifts, and penguins also use the modified tail as an anchor and an additional point of support [10] .
The head and back are of a tan color; the wings are mostly black; tail is dark brown. Covering wings have gray tops, coverts of eyebrows and ears are completely gray. The throat, chest and abdomen are covered with white feathers. In females, the throat is orange-red [7] ; males are also larger than females [6] .
Distribution and habitat
Pintail chauchilla lives in South-Eastern Australia from the region in New South Wales to the in Queensland [12] . Her favorite habitats are rainforests with abundant litter of deciduous litter with a large number of fallen trees, ferns, lianas and tree undergrowth [13] .
Behavior
The most characteristic feature of the behavior of ichoukhvostoy chauchilla is the method of forage extraction, which consists in the following: a bird, leaning on its spiny tail, with its legs throws leaf litter to the sides. After most of the leaves have been removed, the chauchilla uses its tail as a rake and scratches the exposed soil in search of prey. As a result of feeding in the litter, there remains a depression shaped like a soup plate [13] , approximately 150 mm in diameter [8] .
The raking of the foliage to the sides with the feet during the harvest is a unique feature of the chauchilla and is carried out due to the peculiarities of the structure of their pelvis and hind limbs. The pelvis is short and wide, and the femur is thick with well-developed protrusions, to which are attached strong muscles necessary for the implementation of a special technique of foraging [6] .
Pintail chauchilla is described as a noisy bird that publishes loud songs and screams, especially in the morning. These songs and desires are believed to play either a territorial role, or serve to attract a sexual partner [9] .
Power
The forage of the ichthoua chauchilla consists mainly of insects and other invertebrates, which can be detected using its feeding techniques on forest soil [6] .
Social organization and reproduction
Pintail chauchilla live in pairs or small groups, and aggressively protect their territory from neighboring birds. They are considered to form monogamous and permanent bonds [9] .
The female lays two eggs about 29 x 24 mm in size [7] . The eggs are white and oval in shape [13] . The incubation period lasts 20-25 days [9] .
There is some inconsistency in the reports of when the pintail chauchilla breeds. For example, some believe that the reproduction of this species occurs from April to October [13] , others argue that this happens, as a rule, from May to August [14] , while still others hold the opinion that chauchilla can breed throughout the year, but usually from July to December [9] .
Chauchilla nest is large, round with a roof. It is built from twigs, ferns, leaves and natural fibers and is usually covered outside with green moss. Typically, nests are built next to a stone or a log or based on a tree [13] , but sometimes chauchilla build nests in dense thickets of forest vines or ferns close to the ground [14] . Apparently, there is some diversity in the use of building materials and the appearance of the nests of tail-tailed chauchilla [4] .
Pintail chauchilla camouflages its nests, placing leaves and branches of the surrounding vegetation in the upper part of the nest, and also building a visor above the entrance to the nest [14] .
The process of building a nest has been described in detail, it includes the following steps [14] :
- Originally built from short, strong, dry twigs, the foundation in the form of a platform up to 50 mm high.
- Then, using short strong branches, walls are built on the sides and in the back of the platform and interlocking at the top in the form of a roof.
- The roof and walls are covered with a layer of dry leaves and moss about 25 mm thick.
- Masking is additionally enhanced with dry leaves and branches placed over the roof of the moss nest.
- Moss roof expands and tilts in front of the nest, forming a visor or canopy over the entrance (almost hiding the entrance)
- The inner lining of the nest consists of dry vegetation, such as bark, dry moss and fern fiber.
The female builds the nest, she incubates the clutch, the incubation lasts 20-25 days [9] . The female is responsible for raising young until they leave the nest, which lasts from 16 to 19 days [9] . Both males and females appear to share responsibility for feeding the young after they leave the nest [15] .
Links
- del Hoyo J., Elliot A. & Christie D. (editors). (2006). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 12: Picathartes to Tits and Chickadees. Lynx Edicions. ISBN 978-84-96553-42-2
- The Atlas of living Australia. (2015). Orthonyx temminckii: Australian Logrunner.
Notes
- ↑ Boehme RL , Flint V. Ye. The five-language dictionary of animal names. Birds. Latin, Russian, English, German, French / Under total. ed. Acad. V.E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. lang, "RUSSO", 1994. - p. 315. - 2030 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00643-0 .
- ↑ Temminck C.J. 1820. Manuel d'ornithologie, ou Tableau systematique des oiseaux quise trouvent en Europe. ed. 2 1 p. 81 [LXXXI]
- ↑ Ranzani Camillo 1822. Elementi di Zoologia. Bologna. 3 pt. 3 p. nineteen.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Hindwood KA 1933. The Spine-tailed Log-runner. // Emu, 33: 257-267.
- Ti Christidis L., Boles WE 2008. Systematics and Taxonomy of the Australian Birds, Melbourne, Melbourne: CSIRO PUBLISHING.
- 2 1 2 3 4 Nguyen JMT, Boles WE, Worthy TH, Hand SJ, Archer M. 2014. New specs of the logrunner Orthonyx kaldowinyeri (Passeriformes: Orthonychidae) from the Oligo-Miocene of Australia. -Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, 38: 245-255.
- 2 1 2 3 Lucas AHS, Dudely Le Souóf, WH 1911. The birds of Australia, Melbourne, Melbourne: Whitcombe and Tombs.
- 2 1 2 Reader's Digest, S. 1986. Reader's Digest complete book of Australian birds, Sydney, Reader's Digest.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Higgins PJ, Ambrose SJ, Marchant S., Davies SJJF, Peter JM, Steele WK, Cowling SJ 1990. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic birds, Melbourne, Oxford University Press.
- ↑ 1 2 Gill FB 2007. Ornithology, New York, WH Freeman.
- ↑ Dimond JM 1983. Melampitta gigantea: Possible Relation between Feather Structure and Underground Roosting Habits. // The Condor, 85: 89-91.
- ↑ Boles WE 1993. A Logrunner Orthonyx (Passeriformes, Orthonychidae) From the Miocene of Riversleigh, North-western Queensland. -Emu, 93: 44-49.
- 2 1 2 3 4 5 Pizzey G., Knight F. 2012. The guide to the birds of Australia. Sydney, NSW: Harper Collins Publishers.
- 2 1 2 3 4 Berulsden G. 2003. Australian birds and nests, Kenmore Hills, Qld ..
- ↑ Mcnamara E. 1934. Observations of the Spine-tailed Log-runner. -Emu, 34: 177-180.