- Acanthisitta chloris
Identification
6-7g
- White underparts
- Whitish supercillium
- Short rounded wings
- Bill: slightly upturned, long, thin and awl-like
Male: bright green upperparts
Female: browner, head and back are flecked with ochre
Distribution
Taxonomy
Subspecies[1]
There are 2 subspecies:
- A. c. granti:
- North, Great and Little Barrier islands (New Zealand)
- A. c. chloris:
- South, Stewart and Codfish islands (New Zealand)
Habitat
Primary native forest and gardens
Behaviour
Similar to Treecreepers, starting at the base of a tree and circling upwards.
Diet
The diet includes maggots and small insects, gleaned from tree trunks and leaf litter.
Breeding
Cavity nesters, in rocks, tree trunks or on the ground. The nest is dome-shaped with a narrow entrance. It is built from finely interwoven grass, down and other fine material. Brooding of the 4-5 eggs lasts 13-15 days. It is not unusual for them to produce two broods per year.
References
- Clements, JF. 2009. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to December 2009. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019.
- Wikipedia
- BF Member Observation
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Rifleman. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 March 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Rifleman
External Links
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.1
