See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series
The Brown Creeper (Certhia americana) is a winter visitor to Carver County. Its movement may invite your attention in the corner of your vision but then it hops upward quickly and can seem to disappear into the tree bark.
It is one of our smallest birds, about five inches long, with 8-inch wings. Its legs and feet can hardly be seen as it grasps the bark. Just as Nuthatches travel downward, Creepers seem consistent in going the other way, searching for food in the crevices and edges of bark.
The Creeper’s long, curved bill is designed for probing along its path on tree trunks and branches. Similar to woodpeckers, it has stiff tail feathers that help it maintain balance as it speedily hops upward. When it has completed its survey on one tree, it will usually dive downward to the base of another tree and do it all again.
Its mottled brown back and white belly and throat blend perfectly with the trees in winter’s dappled light and shadows in deciduous and conifer woodlands. Both sexes look the same.
The Creeper has been found to nest in some northern counties in Minnesota, but locally, Creepers are early to spend their winter here and will leave about the same time in April and May when other insect-eaters are moving northward through our area.
In yards with feeders, they can be seen searching on the ground and snow for bits and pieces of seeds. They will come to suet feeders once they learn of their caloric benefit.
If you happen to be near them, and your hearing range includes high frequencies, both male and female Creepers make a distinctive thin zeee call. In breeding territory up north, the males have a song that is described as “delicate,” but it is used to define its nesting territory. Their nests are difficult to find because they are tucked behind pieces of bark. Unfortunately, that characteristic makes them vulnerable to squirrels.
Brown Creepers are unique to North America and attract attention whenever and wherever they are seen or heard. Constantly moving, we don’t get the chance to observe them for more than a few moments. Even taking their picture is difficult because their camouflage seems made to foil a camera’s autofocus. Listen for its call, then look around quickly to see if a piece of bark appears to be moving up a tree.
For more information:
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley. Detailed plumage art.
- Birds of Minnesota, Robert B. Janssen. Breeding and seasonal presence maps.
- Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green. Detailed nesting history and maps.
- Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Photos, identification, habitat, feeding, behavior, video, sounds. LINK
