12 Nebraskaland • December 2021
IN THE FIELD
By Joel G. Jorgensen
CREEPIN'
By late fall most of the songbirds that summer in or migrate
through Nebraska are gone for the year, but one odd and
uncommon bird should be looked for from October onward.
The brown creeper is North America's only treecreeper.
These birds do exactly as their name implies: move or "creep"
up the trunks and branches of trees in a fashion similar to
woodpeckers. They usually start low on a tree and work their
way up and then make a short flight to another tree and
repeat the process over and over.
Brown creepers are small, cryptically-colored and
usually quiet other than their high-pitched calls, which
are easily ignored. Lone brown creepers often are observed
in loose feeding flocks of common songbirds that include
black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches and
woodpeckers in wooded areas and suburban spaces.
Unlike those species that seem to be seeking attention
from birdwatchers with loud calls and distinctive plumages,
the brown creeper shies away from attention or shameless
self-promotion. This species also is not on the guest list of
birds expected to make regular appearances at bird feeders
or even bird baths. Brown creepers are never common in
Nebraska, so anytime the species is encountered, one should
take a few moments to appreciate this peculiar little bird.
A brown creeper's life essentially revolves around tree
bark. Creeping birds spend most of their time using their
sharp, thin curved bill to probe the grooves in the bark of
trees for insects and insect larvae. However, the brown
creeper's relationship with bark does not end there, as their
nests are typically located in the small space between
a tree trunk and the bark that is sloughing off a dying,
large tree.
Brown creepers are primarily spring and fall migrants and
winter visitors in Nebraska, but they do occasionally nest
in the Pine Ridge, Middle Niobrara River region or at sites
along the Missouri River, such as Fontenelle Forest. Being
easily overlooked, they may be a more common breeder than
the few records we have of them indicate. However, most of
the brown creepers seen in Nebraska during migration and
winter likely breed in the boreal forests of Canada.
So this fall or winter, feel free to give those big trees along
your favorite path in the woods a few closer looks for this
shy, but nifty, little gem.
PHIL SWANSON
