Brown Creeper
Certhia americana

Brown creepers blend in with tree bark as they move along trees in a “creeping” motion.

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A brown creeper hugs close to a tree.
The brown creeper's beak, claws and tail help it quickly scale trees in search of food. (Photo courtesy of Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

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Appearance

The brown creeper’s plumage is speckled brown, and greatly resembles tree bark. Their white underside is rarely seen, since the bird is so often clinging to a tree. Their long bill is curved slightly downward. Male and females look almost identical.

Feeding

Brown creepers forage for food by quickly moving upward along the trunk of a tree, “creeping” to the top as they look for insects and larvae in the bark. When they finish with one tree, they fly down to the bottom of another and creep back up.

Flight

Brown creepers fly for short durations. Males fly in fast spirals when pursuing a potential mate.

Voice

The brown creeper has a very shrill call.

Reproduction and life cycle

Brown creepers typically breed between April and July. Males and females choose their nest site together, but females build the nest. Nests are usually built beneath a piece of loose bark on the trunk of a dead or dying tree. Females lay five to six or four to eight eggs, and young leave the nest about 13 to 16 days after hatching.

Did you know?

  • Brown creepers blend in with trees, and often go unnoticed. Even their nests are difficult to find, built against tree trunks and tucked under loose slabs of bark.

  • The presence of brown creepers in a forest often indicates the presence of healthy trees.

Sources and additional information

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