Songbirds

Brown Creeper

Certhia americana

A small, cryptically patterned bird that spirals up tree trunks searching for insects in bark crevices. Its brown-streaked plumage is perfectly camouflaged against tree bark.

Current regional viewing notes

Mature coniferous forests around Hoonah; look for it spiraling upward on large Sitka spruce trunks, then flying to the base of the next tree.

Dataset note: This legacy field can be specific to Southeast Alaska/Hoonah and is not a complete statewide range statement.

Habitat

Mature coniferous and mixed forests with large-diameter trees.

Diet

Insects, insect eggs, spiders, and other arthropods extracted from bark crevices.

Natural history note

Brown Creepers always forage by spiraling upward on a tree trunk, then flying down to the base of the next tree to start again — the opposite strategy of nuthatches.