Bird Album
Rifleman
Acanthisitta chloris (Sparrman, 1787)
9 cmLength6.9 gWeight
The rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris) (Māori: titipounamu or tītitipounamu) is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand.
Busiest months: November–December · Most records: New Zealand
Where and when it's recorded
Rifleman has been recorded at 28 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 1 country or region.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Rakiura NP – Ulva IslandNew Zealand746 records
- Fiordland NP – Lake Gunn Nature WalkNew Zealand495 records
- Tiritiri MatangiNew Zealand493 records
More places
- Orokonui EcosanctuaryNew Zealand348 records
- Zealandia Te Mara a Tane Wildlife SanctuaryNew Zealand345 records
- Ulva Island West EndNew Zealand171 records
- Tiritiri Matangi – Wattle TrackNew Zealand117 records
- Zealandia – Lower DamNew Zealand67 records
- Fiordland NP – Mirror LakesNew Zealand67 records
- GlentannerNew Zealand47 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris) (Māori: titipounamu or tītitipounamu) 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.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Rifleman?
The Rifleman is about 9 cm long and weighs around 6.9 g.
Where does the Rifleman live?
Its breeding range: Australasia: North, South and Stewart islands (New Zealand). It is most often recorded in New Zealand.
When is the best time to see the Rifleman?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November and December (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Rifleman endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Rifleman as Least Concern.
What does the Rifleman eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Rifleman in?
It belongs to the family New Zealand Wrens (Acanthisittidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 9 cm
- Weight
- 6.9 g
- Habitat
- Forest
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Perches in trees
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 46 mm
- Tail
- 24 mm
- Bill
- 12 mm
- Tarsus
- 18 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Australasia: North, South and Stewart islands (New Zealand)
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- New Zealand Wrens Acanthisittidae
- Genus
- Acanthisitta
More from the family New Zealand Wrens
New Zealand RockwrenXenicus gilviventris
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by James Bailey. ↗
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