= Rifleman
{disambiguate=bird}
= Acanthisitta chloris
{c}
{synonym}
The <rifleman (bird)>, <Acanthisitta chloris>, is a small New Zealand forest <bird> in <Acanthisittidae>. It has short wings, a very short tail and a slender, slightly upturned bill. Males and females differ in plumage: males have green upperparts, while females are more brown and speckled, an example of <sexual dimorphism>.<Rifleman in New Zealand Birds Online>[Identification]{ref}
Its way of feeding is closely tied to the forest's surfaces. A <rifleman (bird)> searches tree trunks, bark and foliage for small invertebrates and usually moves between feeding sites by short flights. Watching whether a bird probes beneath bark, picks prey from a leaf or catches it in the air distinguishes different foraging actions rather than treating all insect eating as the same behavior.<Rifleman in New Zealand Birds Online>[Behaviour and ecology; Food]{ref}
The species also illustrates <cooperative breeding>. Related young can help feed a later brood alongside the breeding pair. To describe this correctly, an observer must identify individuals and record who delivers food: counting visits to a nest alone cannot distinguish parental care from help supplied by other group members. Such observations connect the family group to the survival of young without assuming that every bird at a nest is a parent.<Rifleman in New Zealand Birds Online>[Breeding: helpers feed nestlings; both sexes provide parental care]{ref}
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