Brown Creeper

Content for this page researched and created by Bailee DiFilippo.

The brown creeper (Certhia americana), is the only tree creeper in North America (Poulin). They are located in North and Central America (Sibley and Landes). They are a fairly common bird during all seasons (National Geographic Society). With a relatively stable population, brown creepers are also called the American Treecreeper (Birdlife International).

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Brown Creeper. Photo by J. Bryant, Flickr

Brown creepers on average are 4.7-5.5 inches long and weigh 0.2-0.4 ounces. Their wingspan ranges from 6.7-7.9 inches (Cornell University). The males are normally longer than the females. The tops of their bodies are brown and black, while the lower parts of their bodies are pale with warm wash flanks. They also have a pale stripe at the base of their wings that can be seen when they are in flight (National Geographic Society). The brown creeper’s color patterns help them to camouflage into the tree bark. They have a long, thin curved bill and a long stiff tail. Their tails help them keep steady while moving around of the trees (Spencer).

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Photo by D. Weber, Flickr

It is said that the difference between the North and Central American brown creepers is great enough that they can almost be considered their own species. They have differences in their DNA, but their physical differences are small, subjective, and overlapping. For example, brown creepers in the East and in the Rocky Mountains are a pale gray, their short, straight bills are the shortest of all the brown creepers. Brown creepers in Mexico are darker in color, both on the top and on the bottom of their bodies. Their bills are short and their wings are short and rounded (Sibley and Landes). Further, it is thought that changes in their genetic patterns can be predicted by climate changes (Manthey).

Brown creepers are found in forest with mature, old or dead, large trees (American Bird Conservancy). They prefer coniferous and mixed forest (Spencer). If there is a loss of these large trees, they will nest in adjacent small forest wetlands (Nol). Brown creepers prefer tree trucks, but they also will settle for tree branches if necessary (Franzreb).

The brown creeper’s diet consist mainly of insects, they especially enjoy insect eggs and pupae (National Audubon Society). They will also eat pseudo-scorpions (Poulin). During the winter the brown creepers eat seeds and vegetable matter (The Holden Arboretum). During a study performed where bird feeders were left out filled with sunflower seed kernels, the brown creeper would only visit the feeders when no other species of birds where around (Lima and Lee).

The brown creeper has a unique way of collecting food. They start at the bottom of a tall, dead tree and spiral up it, looking for insects to eat. When they reach the top of the tree, they fly down it, selecting a new tree, starting all over again (Bird Web). During a selective harvesting study, selective harvesting had a negative effect on the brown creeper, it had reduced the amount of food available (D’Astous and Villard).

Brown creepers are preyed on by a few things. First praying mantis, they hid themselves in trees and shrubbery and use their quick reflexes to attack the birds (Prescott). Other enemies include Northern Strikes and Hawks. When brown creepers are threatened they stay completely still and their color pattern helps them stay camouflaged on the tree bark. They stay still until enemy has gone away (Marrett).

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Brown Creeper Nest. Photo by F. Lospalluto, Flickr

Brown creepers breed during a different time of the year than most other birds (Funes, Oscar, and Oliver). Breeding begins during April, but the season peaks during May, June, and July (The Holden Arboretum). They breed in evergreen and mixed evergreen forest (Cornell University). The males are very territorial during the breeding season, using their songs to mark their territory (Poulin). Brown creepers build their nests underneath the bark of the decaying trees (Nol). The female builds the nest, while the male gathers the supplies. The nests are made with twigs, bark strips, moss, leaves, and is lined with thinner material such as feathers and hair (National Audubon Society). The female lays 4-8 eggs that are white with pink to brown spots. The females incubate the eggs while the male goes out and gathers food for the female. After14-17 days the eggs hatch. After hatching both the male and the female gather food for the growing nestlings. The nestlings leave the nest within 13-16 days (Spencer).

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Photo by J. Brenncke, Flickr

Brown creepers are generally solitary birds. They do migrate occasionally but are more likely to stay where they are. In the winter, if they migrate, they travel in small flocks to a broader variety of forest (Cornell University).

Brown creepers are song birds. Their songs and calls (and also sleeping behaviors) are similar to those of the Certhia brachydaytla (Baptisa and Crebs). Normally their songs sound like “see-see-titl-see” or “see-see” (The Holden Arboretum). The songs of the brown creeper vary by region in which they live and are very complex (Sibley and Spencer). Their songs tend to have a high pitch. Their flight calls are normally short and weak “tsf”. All of their songs and calls tend to end on high notes (National Geographic Society). The difference in songs by region vary, for example songs from Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Wisconsin are rapid. They have a mixture of notes and descend in pitch. Another example is that the songs from California have a note at the beginning and the end that match each other. They are also more rapid and crisp than most.

Scientific References:

Baptisa, Luis F., and Robin Crebs. “Vocalizations and Relationships of Brown Creepers Certhia Americana: A Taxonomic Mystery.” Internation Journal of Avian Science 142.3 (2000): 475-65. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

BirdLife International. 2012. Certhia americana. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2012: 26 September 2016.

D’Astous, Emilie, and Marc-Andre Villard. “Effects of Selection Harvesting on Bark Invertebrates and Nest Provisioning Rate in an Old Forest Specialist, the Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana).” EcoScience 19.2 (2012): 106-12. BioOne. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Franzreb, Kathleen E. “Foraging Ecology of Brown Creepers in a Mixed-Coniferous Forest.” Journal of Field Ornithology 56.1 (1985): 9-16. Web.

Funes, Carlos, Bolaños Oscar, and Komar Oliver. “Breeding of the Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana) in Central America.” The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 124.1 (2012): 177-79. Web.

Kenneth W. Prescott. “Praying Mantis Feeds on Netted Brown Creeper.” Bird-Banding 39.1 (1968): 59. Web

Lima, Steven L., and Lee Robert M. “Food Caching and Its Possible Origin in the Brown Creeper.” The Condor 95.2 (1993): 483-84. Web.

Manthey, Joseph D., John Klicka, and Garth Spellman M. “Effects of Climate Change on the Evolution of Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana) Lineages.” The Auk 131.4 (2014): 559-70. Web. 26 Sept. 2016

Nol, Erica. “Brown Creeper (Certhia Americana) Demographic Response to Hardwood Forests Managed under the Selection System.” Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Marrett, Tyler. “Brown Creeper.” Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin 195 (n.d.): 56-70. Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

 

General References:

“Brown Creeper.”, Identification, All About Birds. Cornell University, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

“Brown Creeper.” National Audubon Society, 03 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

“Brown Creeper.” Bird Web. Seattle Audubon Society, 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

“Brown Creeper.” The Holden Arboretum, 2009. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

“Go The Extra Mile For Birds.” American Bird Conservancy, 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

Poulin, Jean-Francois. “Brown Creeper (Certia Americana).” The Birds of North America (2013): Web. 26 Sept. 2016

Sibley, David, and Andrew Spencer. “Variation in Brown Creeper Songs” Sibley Guides. N.p., 29 Jan. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

Sibley, David, and L.M. Landes. “Is the Brown Creeper More than One Species?” Sibley Guides. N.p., 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

Society, National Geographic. “Brown Creepers, Brown Creeper Pictures, Brown Creeper Facts” National Geographic Society, 2006. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

Spencer, Andrew. “Brown Creeper.” Wildlife Journal. New Hampshire Public Television, 2016. Web. 25 Sept. 2016.

 

Image References:

Flickr. Yahoo. 2012. Web. 25 September, 2016. http://www.flickr.com/photos

(used via creative commons)

  1. Brown Creeper fledgling (D. Weber) (Creative Commons)
  2. Brown Creeper (J. Bryant) (Creative Commons)
  3. Brown Creeper (F. Lospalluto) (Creative Commons)
  4. Brown Creeper (J. Brenncke) (Creative Commons)