Brown Creeper

Brown Creeper - More Common Than You Think

Brown Creeper

The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) is the only member of the Certhiidae family found in the Americas.  Members of the family are found in forested areas around the Northern Hemisphere.  Recent DNA studies have shown that they are closely related to nuthatches, chickadees, wrens and gnatcatchers.  

The Brown Creeper is a small (13 cm or 5.3 in long), streamlined bird which is brown streaked on top and white below with a long tail.  It has a long decurved bill and long toes.  It is always seen clinging to tree bark propping itself with its tail.  It gleans insects and arachnids from under bark while spiralling up the tree trunk and large branches.  When finished one tree it flies to another and lands at the base of the tree to again spiral upwards. 

The Brown Creeper seems uncommon in occurrence because we don't often see it due to its good camouflage and seeming quietness.  It actually vocalizes but it is so high-pitched many people cannot hear it.  The high-pitched 'tseee, tseee' is made while it feeds and flies from tree to tree.  It does have a song that can be heard in breeding season.  Many birders do not recognize this song.  It is a variable warbling which consists of several notes.  Sibley depicts it as 'seee seeedsee sideeu'.  I remember how amazed I was to finally authenticate that song as coming from the Brown Creeper.

Brown Creeper [Internet Photo]

The Creeper nest is interesting.  It is built against a tree trunk under a large slab of bark.  It is made of shredded bark, feathers, sticks and moss.  It often has two openings, an entrance and an exit.  The 4 to 8 white eggs are marked with reddish brown.  

The Brown Creeper population is thought to have declined in late years due to habitat destruction. Fortunately here in New Brunswick they are fairly common.  This species does show some variation in populations across the Americas.  Regional variation shows as birds that are grayer or more reddish brown.  In addition, the species manifests in 3 morphological forms: reddish, brown and gray morphs.  The only morphs I have seen here are reddish brown.  The song varies somewhat across the continent as well. 

The Brown Creeper is considered a permanent resident here.  That is generally the case throughout its range in the Americas except in the northern parts of Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.  However, it is thought that some of our population migrates in winter to warmer climes.  None of our birders have reported flocks of migrating Brown Creepers so I expect the migration would be very limited, perhaps from northern NB to southern NB or into Maine.