Animalia Life
Acanthisitta chloris
SUBFAMILY
TAXONOMY
Acanthisitta chloris Sparrman, 1787.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Xйnique grimpeur; German: Grenadier; Spanish:
Reyezuelo de Nueva Zelanda Fusil.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
The riflemen, the smallest living bird species in New Zealand,
averages about 3 in (8 cm). There is considerable sexual
dichromatism and dimorphism. The female is larger than the
male, an odd reversal of the normal state of affairs in bird life.
Male dorsal parts are bright yellow-green above; female dorsal
parts are striped darker and lighter brown and riddled with
red-brown flecks. Both sexes have white ventral parts, white
superciliary streaks, and yellowish rumps and flanks. The wings
each sport a yellow bar and a white spot posterior to the bar.
Bills of both sexes are slightly upturned, the female’s a little
more emphatically.
DISTRIBUTION
The rifleman is the most cosmopolitan of Acanthisittidae, fairly
common and at home throughout most of lowland New
Zealand, including the lower two-thirds of North Island, all of
South Island, Stewart Island (off the southeast coast of South
Island), and the Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands.
Some ornithologists recognize two subspecies—South Island
rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris chloris) and North Island rifleman
(Acanthisitta chloris granti)—although the two differ
only slightly in color, granti trading chloris’s yellow rump for
a greenish one.
HABITAT
The rifleman thrives easily in various habitats, including
forests, farmlands, disturbed and regenerating habitats, and
scrublands. It has even adapted well to landscapes partly composed
of non-native plant species.
BEHAVIOR
Riflemen are lively, diurnal birds. The call is a sharp, highpitched,
cricket-like zipt, single or in a rapid staccato. Birds spend
their days foraging in trees, winging from one to another, usually
over an accustomed route, and only rarely on the ground. A rifleman
sometimes displays an odd
BEHAVIOR
that Acanthisittidae
alone may claim as theirs: an individual will perch on a branch
and energetically flick its wings, as if showing off.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Sexual dichromatism relates to feeding methods. Both sexes
feed on insects, spiders, and other small invertebrates, but they
split up feeding strategies. The male gleans from the leaves of
a tree while the female works the bark, both going about their
work meticulously and minutely. Thus, either sex has proper
camouflage for its particular gleaning grounds. The female’s
slightly more upcurved bill may give her an advantage in poking
into and prying at loose bark.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Male and female form strong, long-lasting pair bonds. Pairs
breed August–January; females lay 2–4 white eggs. A typical
pair builds a rather elaborate nest in a tree crevice, sometimes
with a dome-like roof, floored and wallpapered inside with spider
webs and mosses. The male feeds the brooding female and
both parents feed chicks. A bonded pair typically fledge two
broods in one season, fledged chicks of the first brood often
pitching in to help feed chicks of the later brood.
CONSERVATION STATUS
The species is widespread, fairly common, and protected by law.
It is not threatened.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.