Rifleman

Rifleman

There are 4 species of New Zealand wrens, one of which is known as the rifleman. The rifleman is a small bird, reaching only 4 inches in length. With a needle like beak, this insect eater spirals vertically up trees searching for food in much the same way as the creeper. The tail is short and the body is quite round. The plumage is bright green on the back, neck and crown. The tail of the rifleman is black and the rump is yellow. Similar to the rifleman are the rock wren and the bush wren. The fourth, the New Zealand wren was known as the Stephen Island wren. However, it is now extinct. [BM] {FW}