Treecreeper

Quick Take

• The treecreeper has a call most people will never hear. This is not because the bird is rare, but because of something about the call itself. Discover the unusual call →
• This bird follows a rigid climbing rule it never breaks, and that rule determines everything about how it survives. See how it climbs →
• The treecreeper earned a nickname that has nothing to do with birds, and once you see why, it makes perfect sense. Explore the scientific name →
• Woodpeckers and treecreepers share the same trees, but the relationship between them is darker than you'd expect. See woodpecker threats →

The treecreeper is notable for its climbing abilities. It moves in a spiraling motion around a tree trunk. It’s found in Europe and Asia. This bird is an insectivore that primarily eats insects, though it will occasionally supplement its diet with seeds, particularly in winter. Its long, curved claws are designed to help it cling to a tree trunk. A treecreeper builds its nest in a crevice behind the bark of a tree.

3 Amazing Treecreeper Facts

• The call of this bird is so high-pitched that many people aren’t able to hear it.
• It establishes and remains in a very small territory.
• This bird always starts at the bottom of a tree trunk and makes its way upward.

Where to Find a Treecreeper

The treecreeper is found in Europe and Asia. Treecreepers are found in China and Mongolia with a territory extending west through Turkmenistan. In Europe, they are found in Spain, France, Italy, as well as in Ireland and Great Britain. Another species called the brown treecreeper is found in Australia.

These birds live in a forest habitat in a temperate climate. They’re partial to conifers and broadleaf trees.

Treecreepers are active during all seasons. Bird watchers in Ireland, Spain, Italy, and elsewhere in their territory are likely to see these birds inhabiting the same trees.

Short-toed treecreepers, Eurasian treecreepers, and others make their way around a tree trunk from the bottom to the top, in a spiraling motion. when they want to move on to another tree, they fly down to the base of that tree and begin moving upward.

Nests

A treecreeper makes its nest in a cavity behind a loose piece of bark. A male and female stuff pieces of grass, moss, and pine needles into the space for their nest.

Sometimes treecreepers make a nest in a box put out by a person. A nesting box for a treecreeper is mounted halfway up a tree and has a side entrance against the trunk. This helps the bird stay safe from predators.

Eurasian treecreepers lay their eggs between March and late June. So there is a lot of activity in the spring and early summer.

Classification and Scientific Name

Treecreepers are birds classified in the Certhiidae family and the Aves class. The true treecreepers (Certhiidae) contain about nine distinct species within the single genus Certhia. They must be distinguished from the Australian treecreepers, which belong to an entirely different family (Climacteridae).

The most common of these is the Eurasian treecreeper. It is also called the common treecreeper or tree mouse, a name earned from its climbing abilities. Its scientific name is Certhia familiaris. The word Certhia derives from the Greek word kerthios, a type of tree-climbing bird, and the Latin word familiaris meaning familiar or common.

Appearance & Behavior

The treecreeper has dark brown feathers on its wings, head, back, and tail. The brown is mottled with tan, black, and white. Its belly and neck are covered in white feathers. It also has a white stripe of feathers above each eye.

This bird has a long, thin beak that curves near the tip. It uses this to dig insects out of tree bark. It has two pink legs with long feet and nails. The treecreeper needs these long feet and nails to hold onto the bark as it moves around a tree. It uses its long, stiff tail feathers to keep it firmly braced against a tree trunk.

Most types of treecreepers look very similar, though the treecreepers living in Ireland have darker brown feathers. Alternatively, treecreepers living in Australia have a covering of light brown feathers with a mottled pattern on their belly.

The wingspan of the treecreeper is around seven and a half inches, and it has a body four to six inches long. This is a tiny bird weighing from 0.2 to 0.38 ounces.

The dark feathers help the bird camouflage itself as it freezes against a tree trunk when predators are nearby.

Migration Pattern and Timing

Treecreeper migration varies: some species migrate, and some do not. Eurasian treecreepers living in the western and southern parts of their territory, where the temperatures are warmer, don’t migrate. However, treecreepers living further north, as well as in the mountains, move a short distance south in search of warmer temperatures in the winter.

Diet

Short-toed treecreepers and the brown treecreeper from Australia, along with other types of treecreepers, have omnivorous diets. They spend most of their day searching tree bark for sustenance.

What does a treecreeper eat?

Treecreepers eat earwigs, spiders, beetles, and ants. They also eat seeds.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status

Given its small size, it is not surprising that this bird has several predators.

Treecreepers are losing habitat due to deforestation of the older trees they inhabit. But despite some loss of their habitat, according to the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species, the Eurasian treecreeper is listed as of least concern. Other treecreepers on the IUCN Red List are also listed as Least Concern, although some have decreasing populations. Though it has experienced the loss of its forest habitat, the establishment of protected areas of land has increased its numbers in some cases.

What eats treecreepers?

Small mammals such as badgers, ferrets, cats, and pine martens are its predators. They are also eaten by owls and hawks. All of these predators live in or around the same habitat as treecreepers. Woodpeckers sometimes steal eggs out of the nests of treecreepers.

Reproduction, Young, and Molting

The treecreeper’s breeding season begins in March and extends into July. Both the male and female build a nest of grass, twigs, feathers, moss, and even spider webs behind a loose piece of bark on a tree. A female lays five to six eggs, and they hatch in 13 to 17 days.

Baby treecreepers are called chicks. They fledge at around 15–16 days old and leave the nest. However, many return to the nest for a few days to be fed by their parents.

Population

There is no exact, official census for the total number of individual “true treecreepers” (family Certhiidae) worldwide, but scientific data suggests the global population sits roughly between 60 million and 110 million mature individuals.