The common treecreeper (Certhia familiaris), is an unobtrusive little woodland bird. The Treecreeper is easily overlooked as it creeps up tree trunks, probing the bark for insects and spiders with its needle-like bill. The spiky tail is used as a support when climbing. Typically, the treecreeper feeds by spiralling round and up a tree trunk, then dropping down to the base of an adjacent tree to repeat the process.
The adults have streaked brown upperparts and silvery-white underparts that are subtly suffused with buff towards the rear of the flanks. The treecreeper is a rather sedentary resident bird, which favours deciduous and mixed woodlands, although it is sometimes encountered in mature conifer plantations too. The species is widespread generally, although absent from upland/northern districts of the UK.
The easiest way to locate a treecreeper in an area of woodland is to listen for its thin but distinctive, high-pitched tseert call.
Reference List:
- Sterry.P., (2004) Collins Complete Guide to British Birds. Harper Collins Publishing Ltd, London.
