Spotted: The Elusive Brown Creeper

In a winter forest dominated by juncos, titmice, and chickadees, keep a watchful eye to the trunks of trees for Brown Creepers (Certhia americana).

These tiny songbirds behave like nuthatches and look like wrens, but actually belong to a family all their own, Certhiidae. In fact, brown creepers are the only member of the treecreeper family native to North America. They “creep” up the trunks and branches of trees in search of insects, which they extract from gaps in the bark using their specialized curved, narrow bill. Though their main diet consists of creepy crawlies, they will occasionally visit a suet feeder in the winter and can be seen foraging in mixed species flocks.

Brown creepers can be found in forests across Pennsylvania year-round but are challenging to spot, especially during the summer breeding season. They build their nests behind flaking bark in mature forest, making it almost impossible to find. Try your luck by looking for a small brown and white mottled bird with a long tail and white underside. Listen for a song of high, delicate notes that last about 1.5 seconds and resemble the phrase trees, beautiful trees.

Photo by Bill Moses.