The treecreepers are a family of small birds that consist of two subfamilies:
- The typical treecreepers (Certhiinae) are a group of seven species found in Europe and Asia, with one representative, the Brown Creeper in North America.
- The Spotted Creepers (Salpornis spilonotus – Salpornithinae) are found in India and Africa.
These mostly sedentary birds do not migrate other than for local movements.
Description
These small woodland birds are brown above and white below.
They have long, thin, pointed down-curved bills, which they use to extricate insects from bark. They have stiff tail feathers, like woodpeckers, which they use to support themselves on vertical trees.
They were named for the fact that they are frequently observed “creeping” up tree trunks.
The typical treecreepers look very much alike and species identification can be challenging in areas where two species occur together.
Nesting
They typically nest in tree crevices or behind bark.
Species Research by Sibylle Johnson
Sub-species:
Australasian / Australian Treecreeper
Black-tailed Treecreeper (Climacteris melanura)
Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)
Brown Tree Creeper (Climacteris picumnus)
Common or Eurasian Treecreeper (Certhia familiaris)
Papuan Treecreeper (Cormobates placens)
Philippine Creeper (Rhabdornithidae)
Red-browed Treecreeper (Climacteris erythrops)
Rufous Treecreeper (Climacteris rufa)
Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla)
Sichuan Treecreeper (Certhia tianquanensis)
Spotted Creeper (Salpornis spilonotus): French Name: Grimpereau tacheté … German Name: Stammsteiger … Peters Family Name: Certhiidae (Salpornithinae): Spotted Creeper … Sibley-Monroe Family Name: Certhiidae: (Certhiinae,Salpornithini): African Creeper … Gill (2nd Ed.) Family Name: Certhiidae: Creepers
Habitat: Woodland, Brachystegia, savanna, dry deciduous, thorn forest … Distribution: Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo / the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire), Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique
White-browed Creeper (Climacteris affinis)
White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaeus
