The few published studies on the diet of riflebirds indicate that riflebirds are predominantly insectivorous but will take fruit and seeds when available. Riflebirds are mostly arboreal with a preference for lower strata but will forage on or close to the ground. They climb up and down tree trunks and hop along horizontal branches searching for insects and their larvae, which they extract from under the bark, in crevices and in epiphytes using their chisel-like bills. Riflebirds will swallow fruit whole or hold fruit between their foot and a branch and tear pieces off with their bill. While riflebirds are mostly solitary, small flocks can be seen on fruiting trees when in season. Victoria's riflebird has been reported to feed on 19 species of fruiting trees and vines. Only one reference has been made to riflebirds (P. magnifica) as a seed disperser of rainforest plants including Ficus spp. and Podocarpus spp.
