Story: Small forest birds

Rifleman on $2 note

Rifleman on $2 note

The rifleman, New Zealand’s smallest bird, is also one of the most important. Its ancestors may have been living in New Zealand when the land mass split off from the Gondwana supercontinent, 85 million years ago. The rifleman is featured on this $2 note, which went out of circulation in 1991. It was replaced by a coin showing the kōtuku (white heron).

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Reserve Bank of New Zealand

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How to cite this page:

Christina Troup, 'Small forest birds - Riflemen', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/object/12458/rifleman-on-2-note (accessed 19 April 2024)

Story by Christina Troup, published 24 Sep 2007, reviewed & revised 17 Feb 2015, updated 1 Aug 2023