Despite Being So Small And Adorable, The Rifleman Is A Bird That Can Hardly Fly

It's considered New Zealand's smallest bird.

May

• Published in Animal Stories
• March 2, 2022

A large percentage of birds are small. So if one is going to be regarded as the smallest, it has to be really tiny.

Today we're looking at the rifleman, which holds the record for being the smallest in New Zealand. It weighs only 6 grams and is about 8 cm long.

The rifleman (scientific name Acanthisitta chloris) is a native bird that prefers the country's high-altitude forests. You can compare it to a sparrow, which is 16 cm long and can go up to 40 grams in terms of weight.

This bird is a tiny, forest-inhabiting insectivore that's constantly on the go, flicking its wings as it moves through the canopy and searching for food up and down tree trunks. South Island riflemen can be found in almost all areas of the Southern Alps.

They aren't typically seen in the South Island and are extremely rare on Stewart Island (except for Ulva and Codfish Islands). Both birds have feathers that easily blend in with their natural surroundings.

The male of both species is clothed in brilliant green plumage, whereas the female is a dull brown color. We have collected a few photos of the New Zealand rifleman.

Let's have a look and appreciate the charms of this lovely little creature.

You'll be surprised that despite being lightweight, the rifleman can't stay airborne.

Apart from that, it's also very uncommon for a songbird to be unable to fly well. Evidence suggests that for millions of years, the ancestors of riflebirds lived without the dangers of mammals, including rats and possums.

The good thing is that the population of these birds is steady

But at the same time, they're decreasing as a result of habitat loss. Sadly, the New Zealand rock wren is now considered endangered and that's largely due to predation.

When you visualize the name rifleman, though soldiers will surely come to mind.

But think about it. The name doesn't really fit their adorable appearance.

You have to look at its color. It resembles the uniform of a colonial regiment in the past.

Here's a short footage of a rifleman in Tiritiri Matangi Island. It's a wildlife sanctuary located on North Island.

Let's discover some more interesting facts about these adorable rifles.

The common call that both sexes produce is a high-pitched, repetitive zipt. Riflemen also make frequent contact calls when foraging.

Calls are generated at a high frequency. In other words, they produce sounds that generally can't be heard by us humans.

The breeding period of riflemen is between August and February. They make spherical nests within existing cavities and build them closed.

For nesting, a wide range of cavity types are used. Pairs may produce up to two broods each year, with additional clutches if any eggs fail.

The responsibility of building the nest generally falls upon the male. On the other hand, incubation, nestling, and caring for the fledglings are done by both sexes.

A set of two to five eggs take approximately 20 days to incubate. Afterward, the chicks depart the nest when they are approximately 24 days old.

May