The elusive rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris) is named after military riflemen uniforms due to the olive-green back and head matching the green jackets worn by infantry soldiers. Its Maori name is tītipounamu. It is New Zealand's smallest native bird, weighing around 7 grams (the weight of a sheet of paper or two teaspoons of sugar). Alongside the alpine rock wren, they are the only surviving members of the ancient, endemic New Zealand wren family. The rifleman forms life-long monogamous pair-bonds and only replaces a mate if one of the pair dies. It is found on New Zealand's North Island, South Island, and nearby smaller offshore islands.
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