page_title: Rifleman (bird)
section_title: Distribution and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Rifleman (bird) / Distribution and habitat
caption_attribution_description: Rifleman&#160; (Acanthisitta chloris, cat.) English: Riflemans (Acanthisitta chloris) are hard to photograph; this is the best i could do for now. they are so hyper, moving from branch to branch every second or so. New Zealand, South Ssland - 2009/2010
context_page_description: The rifleman is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand. It belongs to the family Acanthisittidae, also known as the New Zealand wrens, of which it is one of only two surviving species. The rifleman resembles a wren in form, but is not related to the family of true wrens, Troglodytidae, nor the fairy-wrens of Australia.
context_section_description: 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 acanthisittid 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.
  The rifleman covers the same or similar territory every day, which a male/female pair defend. They can only fly short distances, meaning they are unlikely to cross open areas. The bird was once common across New Zealand, but the fragmentation of forests from land development has meant less habitat and more isolated populations.
caption: A female rifleman in the South Island
exif: {}