Appearance
The rifleman is New Zealand's smallest endemic bird, with fully grown adults reaching around 8 cm. The male rifleman is bright green on the dorsal side, while the female is of a more somber brownish tone and her head and back are flecked with ochre. Male birds typically weigh around 6 g, females 7 g. Both birds are white on their under surfaces and have white eyebrow stripes. They have short, rounded wings, a very short tail, and a long, thin, awl-like bill which is slightly upturned for insertion into cracks. The rifleman flies quickly with a wing beat producing a characteristic humming sound like a humming bird.Distribution
The true habitat of this bird is thinly wooded forests, but other similar New Zealand species live near rocky outcrops.The rifleman is the most widespread species of acanthisittids in the two main islands of New Zealand. However, the bird occurs only rarely in latitudes north of Te Aroha. The North Island subspecies, ''A. c. granti'', occurs mainly in lowland tawa forest, while the South Island subspecies, ''A. c. chloris'', is found in high-altitude beech forest or lowland areas forested with podocarp.
Habitat
The true habitat of this bird is thinly wooded forests, but other similar New Zealand species live near rocky outcrops.The rifleman is the most widespread species of acanthisittids in the two main islands of New Zealand. However, the bird occurs only rarely in latitudes north of Te Aroha. The North Island subspecies, ''A. c. granti'', occurs mainly in lowland tawa forest, while the South Island subspecies, ''A. c. chloris'', is found in high-altitude beech forest or lowland areas forested with podocarp.
Reproduction
Acanthisittids build their nests in rock fissures, holes in tree trunks, or even in cavities in the ground. The nest entrance is often so narrow, the bird struggles to get inside. The nest most commonly has a domed shape and is finely interwoven with blades of grass, down feathers, and other light materials. Brooding lasts 13–15 days, with the female laying four or five eggs. Two broods per year are common. It has been shown that nest boxes increase the fledging success of rifleman chicks.Food
The rifleman is insectivorous and searches for maggots and small insects on tree trunks and among leaf litter on the forest floor. It searches for food in a similar way to the treecreeper. The bird begins its search from the base of a tree and climbs up it progressively, spiralling up around the trunk. Upon finishing its search of a particular tree, the bird glides to the foot of a neighbouring tree and begins its search again.Cultural
The rifleman was pictured on the reverse side of the New Zealand $2 note from 1967 until the note was phased out in 1991.References:
Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.
