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Rifleman

Titipounamu

Arcanthisitta chloris

A very small bird, with forehead and crown greyish brown merging into a bright green back, with a yellow green rump. The tail is black, with a white tip and is so small as to appear non-existent when the bird is at rest.

Riflemen for me are the most difficult of birds to spot. They are the smallest of all our Ulva Island birds, weighing just 6 grams. Their squeaking call is pitched way above my hearing range and is often only heard by children and women. They seldom settle for more than a second or two and feed on insects they find on the trunks and branches of trees. They are about on Ulva all the year

I have no song recording of Rifleman, as they are too high pitched for me to hear

Size 80 mm


Rifleman nesting Nests are generally quite low to the ground in tree cavities.
Rifleman Their song is too high pitched for me to hear, and as small as they are makes it very difficult for me to find
Rifleman A video cameraman once complained to me that they never sat still for more than a second and a half at a time.