Description:
Brown Creepers are small birds that can reach 14 centimeters with their stiff tail and long curved bill making up a fair portion of that! Their undersides are white while the top of their body, from head to tail, is mottled with varying shades of brown with off-whites and grey. In flight you may notice a striking pale-coloured band across the wings.
There are five species of hummingbird found in Canada. The ruby-throated hummingbird is the most widespread, found from Alberta east to Nova Scotia. The calliope hummingbird is the tiniest of the five, and is found in central interior British Columbia and southwestern Alberta. Anna’s hummingbird can be found in parts of southern British Columbia and Vancouver Island, while the black-chinned hummingbird can make its way up the interior of southern British Columbia. The rufous hummingbird, considered to have the longest known avian migration, has a slightly wider distribution. It can be found in southwestern Yukon, most of British Columbia and southwestern Alberta.
Similar Species:
In the summer months, the Black-and-White Warbler may be confused with the Brown Creeper, although it is distinctly black and white with a shorter bill and does not feed strictly upwards on tree trunks, instead it moves in varying directions. Both the White-breasted and Red-breasted Nuthatches are bark foraging birds that can be seen in the winter with Brown Creepers, but nuthatches have shorter tails, a grey-blue colouring to their backs and move downwards on the trunk, as opposed to the Brown Creeper which moves upward.
Range
Brown Creepers are found across Canada, from British Columbia in the west to Newfoundland and Labrador in the east.
Habitat
Look for Brown Creepers in the wintertime where there are plenty of large coniferous and deciduous trees, from woodlands to well-treed urban areas. In the summer they typically nest in mature coniferous areas.
Diet
Brown Creepers eat insects, including in their larval and egg form, and spider eggs.
Behaviour
These small birds look for food by moving up the trunks of trees in spiral. Upon reaching the top, they fly down to
the base of another tree where it then ascends that tree. They use their long-curved bill to dig out insects
Brown Creepers nest in cracks between a tree’s trunk and bark as well as in natural cavities.
References/Resources:
The Backyard Bird-Lover’s Guide by Jan Mahnken, 1996