The true habitat of this bird is thinly wooded forests, but other similar New Zealand species live near rocky outcrops.

The rifleman is the most widespread species of acanthisittid in the two main islands of New Zealand.
 However, the bird occurs only rarely in latitudes north of Te Aroha.
 The North Island subspecies, A. c. granti, occurs mainly in lowland tawa forest, while the South Island subspecies, A. c. chloris, is found in high-altitude beech forest or lowland areas forested with podocarp.

The rifleman covers the same or similar territory every day, which a male/female pair defend.
They can only fly short distances, meaning they are unlikely to cross open areas.
The bird was once common across New Zealand, but the fragmentation of forests from land development has meant less habitat and more isolated populations.
The true habitat of this bird is thinly wooded forests, but other similar New Zealand species live near rocky outcrops.
The rifleman is the most widespread species of acanthisittid in the two main islands of New Zealand.  However, the bird occurs only rarely in latitudes north of Te Aroha.  The North Island subspecies, A. c. granti, occurs mainly in lowland tawa forest, while the South Island subspecies, A. c. chloris, is found in high-altitude beech forest or lowland areas forested with podocarp.
The rifleman covers the same or similar territory every day, which a male/female pair defend. They can only fly short distances, meaning they are unlikely to cross open areas. The bird was once common across New Zealand, but the fragmentation of forests from land development has meant less habitat and more isolated populations.
Rifleman (bird)