The brown creeper, also known as the American treecreeper, is a small songbird, the only North American member of the treecreeper family Certhiidae.
Region
North America
Typical Environment
Found from Alaska and Canada through most of the United States into Mexico and parts of Central America. Prefers mature coniferous and mixed forests with large, rough-barked trees, but also uses riparian woodlands and older parks in winter. In mountainous areas it breeds in cool, dense forests and may move to lower elevations after breeding. It is generally absent from treeless plains and very young, even-aged forests.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 3200 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The brown creeper is the only North American member of the treecreeper family Certhiidae. It forages by spiraling up tree trunks, using its stiff tail as a prop while probing bark crevices with its slender, downcurved bill. Its mottled plumage provides excellent camouflage against tree bark, making it easy to overlook.
Brown creeper about to be released at a bird ringing station in the United States
Temperament
solitary and inconspicuous
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Often forages alone or joins mixed-species flocks with chickadees and kinglets in winter. Nests behind loose bark or in bark cavities on dead or dying trees, building a well-hidden cup of twigs and bark strips. Pairs form in late winter to spring, and both sexes participate in nest site selection.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
Song is a high, thin, and sweet series of ascending and descending notes with a delicate, tinkling quality. Calls include very thin, high tseee or see notes that can be hard to localize in dense forest.
Plumage
Finely mottled and streaked brown, buff, and black upperparts with white underparts; cryptic pattern closely matches tree bark. Rump often shows a rusty tinge; tail feathers are stiff and pointed. Overall slim with a decurved bill.
Diet
Primarily small arthropods such as beetles, moth and butterfly larvae, spiders, and insect eggs taken from bark crevices. Uses its slender bill to probe and glean, often following a regular upward spiral route on trunks before flying to the base of the next tree. In winter, will occasionally take seeds or visit suet feeders during harsh conditions.
Preferred Environment
Feeds on the trunks and large limbs of mature conifers and hardwoods with rough or flaky bark. Frequently forages in older forests, wooded edges, and riparian corridors where large trees provide abundant bark microhabitats.
