Species

Brown creeper

Certhia americana

A small, streaky bird camouflaged like bark, which spirals up tree trunks and then flies to the base of the next.

Photo Rhododendrites (opens in a new tab) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens in a new tab)

Adaptation

At a glance

Size: About 12 to 14 cm long
Weight: About 5 to 10 g
Habitat: Mature woods with large trees
Diet: Insects and spiders from bark
In Georgia: An uncommon winter visitor; a few nest in the mountains
Voice: A very high, thin "tsee"
Rabies vector: No

Identification

Key marks: Brown, streaked back that matches bark; white underparts; thin, curved bill; stiff tail used as a prop
Told apart from: Nuthatches, which climb down trees head first
Where to look: Large tree trunks in winter

Behaviour

Brown creepers climb up tree trunks in spirals, probing bark for insects, then fly to the base of another tree and start again.

Why they matter

Creepers are so well camouflaged that they are often overlooked. They depend on large, old trees with thick bark and are a sign of mature woods.

Reproduction and lifecycle

Nest — A hammock-shaped cup behind a loose flap of bark
Eggs — Usually five or six
Incubation — About 14 to 17 days
Chicks — Fed by both parents
Flight — At about 13 to 16 days
Lifespan — Several years

Living around people

Large trees with loose bark give them nest sites.

Misconceptions

A bird on a tree trunk is always a woodpecker. It may be a creeper or nuthatch.

Related species

Seasonal activity

When this species is breeding, and when there are nests on the ground. Mowing during the shaded months is how most nests are found.

Breeding and active nests by month for this species
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Breeding	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Active nests	Jan: no	Feb: no	Mar: no	Apr: no	May: no	Jun: no	Jul: no	Aug: no	Sep: no	Oct: no	Nov: no	Dec: no
Notes	Wintering	Wintering	Leaving	Nesting in the north and mountains	Nesting	Chicks	Young fledging	Present in the north	Migrating	Arriving	Wintering	Wintering

Where it lives

Recorded in 79 states and provinces. Each one links to the other animals there, and to the rehabilitators licensed for them.

Canada

If you found one

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