Eurasian Treecreeper
A species of Typical Treecreepers, Also known as European Treecreeper Scientific name : Certhia familiaris Genus : Typical Treecreepers
Eurasian Treecreeper, A species of Typical Treecreepers
Also known as:
European Treecreeper
Botanical name: Certhia familiaris
Genus: Typical Treecreepers
Content
Description General Info
Description
Similar in appearance, all treecreepers are small birds with streaked and spotted brown upperparts, rufous rumps and whitish underparts. They have long decurved bills, and long rigid tail feathers that provide support as they creep up tree trunks looking for insects. The Eurasian treecreeper is 12.5 cm (4.9 in) long and weighs 7.0–12.9 g (0.25–0.46 oz). It has warm brown upperparts intricately patterned with black, buff and white, and a plain brown tail. Its belly, flanks and vent area are tinged with buff. The sexes are similar, but the juvenile has duller upperparts than the adult, and its underparts are dull white with dark fine spotting on the flanks. The contact call is a very quiet, thin and high-pitched sit, but the most distinctive call is a penetrating tsree, with a vibrato quality, sometimes repeated as a series of notes. The male's song begins with srrih, srrih followed in turn by a few twittering notes, a longer descending ripple, and a whistle that falls and then rises. The range of the Eurasian treecreeper overlaps with that of several other treecreepers, which can present local identification problems. In Europe, the Eurasian treecreeper shares much of its range with the short-toed treecreeper. Compared to that species, it is whiter below, warmer and more spotted above, and has a whiter supercilium and slightly shorter bill. Visual identification, even in the hand, may be impossible for poorly marked birds. A singing treecreeper is usually identifiable, since short-toed treecreeper has a distinctive series of evenly spaced notes sounding quite different from the song of Eurasian treecreeper; however, both species have been known to sing the other's song. Three Himalayan subspecies of Eurasian treecreeper are now sometimes given full species status as Hodgson's treecreeper, for example by BirdLife International, but if they are retained as subspecies of Eurasian, they have to be distinguished from three other South Asian treecreepers. The plain tail of Eurasian treecreeper differentiates it from bar-tailed treecreeper, which has a distinctive barred tail pattern, and its white throat is an obvious difference from brown-throated treecreeper. Rusty-flanked treecreeper is more difficult to separate from Eurasian, but has more contrasting cinnamon, rather than buff, flanks. The North American brown creeper has never been recorded in Europe, but an autumn vagrant would be difficult to identify, since it would not be singing, and the American species' call is much like that of Eurasian treecreeper. In appearance, brown creeper is more like short-toed than Eurasian, but a vagrant might still not be possible to identify with certainty given the similarities between the three species. 
Size
12 cm
Colors
Brown
Black
Gray
White
Life Expectancy
7 years
Feeding Habits
Eurasian Treecreeper primarily forages invertebrates from tree bark, using its long bill for extraction. It ascends tree trunks, occasionally feeding on walls or ground, and eats some conifer seeds in winter. Males and females divide foraging heights on trees and may adjust behavior if alone. Winter may see eurasian Treecreeper in mixed-species flocks, without sharing resources.
Habitat
Eurasian Treecreeper primarily inhabits a variety of wooded environments, from mature coniferous forests dominated by spruce and fir to deciduous broadleaf and mixed woodlands, extending to well-wooded farmlands, parklands, and even urban gardens. While in Western and Central Europe, it shows a preference for beech and higher altitude coniferous habitats, particularly where it coexists with similar species, its habitat choice shifts to broadleaf or mixed woodland in regions where it is the sole species. Montane in southern regions, eurasian Treecreeper can be found breeding at altitudes up to several thousand meters, although it occupies areas from sea level to the tree line depending on the latitude. Migration is minimal with some altitudinal movement in winter, and while generally non-migratory, sporadic dispersal can result in vagrancy beyond its usual range.
Dite type
Insectivorous
General Info
Feeding Habits
Bird Feeder Type
Small Tube Feeder
Platform
Suet Cage
Sounds
Call
Recording location: Belgium
Song
Recording location: Belgium
Call
Recording location: France
Distribution Area
The Eurasian treecreeper is the most widespread member of its genus, breeding in temperate woodlands across the Palearctic from Ireland to Japan. It prefers mature trees, and in most of Europe, where it shares its range with short-toed treecreeper, it tends to be found mainly in coniferous forest, especially spruce and fir. However, where it is the only treecreeper, as in European Russia, or the British Isles, it frequents broadleaved or mixed woodland in preference to conifers. It is also found in parks and large gardens. The Eurasian treecreeper breeds down to sea level in the north of its range, but tends to be a highland species further south. In the Pyrenees it breeds above 1,370 metres (4,490 feet), in China from 400–2,100 metres (1,300–6,900 ft) and in southern Japan from 1,065–2,135 metres (3,494–7,005 ft). The breeding areas have July isotherms between 14–16 °C and 23–24 °C (73–75 °F) and 72–73 °F). The Eurasian treecreeper is non-migratory in the milder west and south of its breeding range, but some northern birds move south in winter, and individuals breeding on mountains may descend to a lower altitude in winter. Winter movements and post-breeding dispersal may lead to vagrancy outside the normal range. Wintering migrants of the Asian subspecies have been recorded in South Korea and China, and the nominate form has been recorded west of its breeding range as far as Orkney, Scotland. The Eurasian treecreeper has also occurred as a vagrant to the Channel Islands (where the short-toed is the resident species), Majorca and the Faroe Islands.
Species Status
Not globally threatened.
Scientific Classification
Phylum
Chordates Class
Birds Order
Perching birds Family
Treecreepers Genus
Typical Treecreepers Species
Eurasian Treecreeper 
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