The Treecreeper was @SpeciesofUK from 12th
to 18th May, 2014.
The
treecreeper is a wonderful, active little bird that, as its name suggests,
lives in trees. It's notable for its foraging habits and slender curved bill.
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| Treecreeper [Flickr Creative Commons © gynti_46] |
The treecreeper was first described by the Ancient
Greeks.
While in
the UK we refer to it as the 'treecreeper', elsewhere this bird is called the
'Eurasian treecreeper' or 'common treecreeper' to distinguish it from other
treecreeper species.[1]
The
treecreeper is in the Certhia genus
alongside seven other treecreeper species. There are a further two treecreeper
species in another genus.[2]
The name
of the Certhia genus comes from Greek
'Kerthios', used by Aristotle to describe small tree-dwelling birds.[3]
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| Treecreeper [Flickr Creative Commons © baerchen57] |
Aristotle
in his 'Inquiries on Animals' described Kerthios as a small bird, bold in
behaviour, living around trees, eating woodworms and finding food easily.[4]
The name
'treecreeper' itself comes, pretty obviously, from the bird's habit of creeping
up trees!
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| Treecreeper [Wikimedia Commons © Pawel Kuzniar] |
Regional
UK names for the treecreeper include Snà gair (Gaelic), Snag (Irish) and
Dringwr bach (Welsh).[5]
The
treecreeper species is made of nine or more subspecies, found in different
parts of its range throughout temperate Eurasia. The UK subspecies is C. f. britannica.[6]
The treecreeper spends most of its time in trees.
The
treecreeper is resident in the UK and has a fairly stable population of around
200,000 breeding territories.[7]
Across Europe there are between 3.7 to 7 million pairs.[8]
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| Pair of Treecreepers [Flickr Creative Commons © Edwyn Anderton] |
The
treecreeper occurs in a variety of habitats but spends nearly all its time in
trees. It's most often seen on the trunks of trees in woodland.[9]
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| Treecreeper [Flickr Creative Commons © Edwyn Anderton] |
Treecreepers
will visit gardens if you've got a suitable mature tree. They can be tempted in
during winter by fat, smeared onto the trunk.[10]
Treecreepers
leave their breeding territories in autumn and winter and often join mixed
flocks of other small birds such as tits.[11]
Although
they are more mobile during winter, treecreepers will rarely stray more than
20km from their breeding territory.[12]
Treecreepers are surprisingly small.
Treecreepers
are small, verging on tiny - only about the size of a wren, although they
appear larger because of their long bill and tail.[13]
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| Treecreper [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
A common
description of the treecreeper is 'mouse-like,' because of their size and
colour but also because of how they seem to scuttle up tree trunks.[14]
The
treecreeper is basically brown above and white below. It has mottled white markings
on its wings and back.[15]
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| Treecreeper [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
The
intricately mottled plumage provides ideal camouflage for treecreepers while
they're on tree trunks.[16]
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| Treecreeper Camouflage [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
Treecreepers
have a long white stripe above the eye, the 'supercilium', a characteristic of
many other bird species such as warblers.[17]
 |
| Treecreeper - White Supercilium [Flickr Creative Commons © Mark Kilner] |
The
treecreeper has an extremely distinctive, long and slender, down-curved bill.[18]
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| Treecreeper - Down-curved Bill [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
Our treecreeper has a close European cousin.
In Europe
there is another treecreeper species, the 'short-toed treecreeper', which is
very similar to the treecreeper although the song is different.[19]
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| Short-toed Treecreeper [Flickr Creative Commons © Isidro Vila Verde] |
The
short-toed treecreeper does actually breed in the Channel Islands and occurs in
the UK as a vagrant. It's probably under-recorded here because it’s often
mistaken for a common treecreeper.[20]
The foraging habits of the treecreeper are very
distinctive.
Treecreepers
mainly eat insects and spiders hidden in crevices in bark. They work in a
spiral around a tree trunk, scuttling upwards.[21]
The
treecreeper will progress up a trunk in a series of short bursts/jerks, now and
then making a sideways hop to explore a promising crevice.[22]
Once a
treecreeper has located a gap in the bark it pushes its scimitar-like bill into
the crack and delicately removes its quarry.[23]
If it
reaches a branch on its way up the treecreeper will travel outwards clinging on
beneath it, perfectly happy upside-down.[24]
After a
short while, the treecreeper will fly to another nearby tree and repeat the
process.[25]
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| Treecreeper with a Grub [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
Treecreepers
are vulnerable in cold weather if their food gets sealed into the trunks by
frost, especially in more exposed woodland.[26]
During
the winter, treecreepers can increase their chances of survival by adding pine/spruce
seeds to their diet.[27]
Treecreeper nests are well-hidden.
Treecreepers
nest in a constricted space, often a small bed of twigs behind a piece of
hanging bark with two openings, an entrance and exit.[28]
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| Treecreeper Emerging from Nest [Flickr Creative Commons © Edwyn Anderton] |
Treecreeper
nesting is timed to take advantage of the glut of caterpillars at the beginning
of June. They occasionally produce a second brood.[29]
The treecreeper
clutch size is five to six eggs which they incubate for thirteen to seventeen
days. The chicks fledge after fifteen to seventeen days.[30]
Treecreepers
start breeding the year after they are born. They typically live for two years
but the oldest recorded was eight.[31]
Strange but true…
Unlike the nuthatch, the treecreeper can’t climb down
trees head first. It has to hop down backwards due to its tail getting in the
way.[32]
As a
result a bird seen scuttling up a tree is almost always a treecreeper. A bird
scuttling down a tree is probably a nuthatch.[33]
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| Nuthatch [Flickr Creative Commons © Sergey Yeliseev] |
[1] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_treecreeper
[2] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certhia;
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treecreeper
[3] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_treecreeper
[4] http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=RSWCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT389&lpg=PT389&dq=aristotle+kerthios&source=bl&ots=3rlJjJEW2p&sig=HnRwt0VIiDFb5eCaeji_p45JzCM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=H250U7PWLYHiOs79gfgG&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA
[5] http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[6] http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurasian_treecreeper
[7] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/
[8] http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[9] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/;
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[10] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[11] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/
[12] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/
[13] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[14] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[15] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[16] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[17] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[18] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/
[19] https://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/s/shorttoedtreecreeper/;
http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[20] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[21] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[22] http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/treecreeper.asp
[23] http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/treecreeper.asp
[24] http://www.birdsofbritain.co.uk/bird-guide/treecreeper.asp
[25] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[26] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
[27] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/;
http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[28] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/
[29] http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/treecreeper/;
http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[30] http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[31] http://blx1.bto.org/birdfacts/results/bob14860.htm
[32] http://www.discoverwildlife.com/blog-custom/bto-garden-bird-month-april-treecreeper
[33] http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/gbw/gardens-wildlife/garden-birds/a-z-garden-birds/treecreeper
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