fbpx

Brown Treecreeper

Listen to audio

Habitat: Woodland, Forest

Habitat

Found in the drier open forests and woodlands, the Brown Treecreeper stays in the same area all year round.

Behaviour

Despite its name, the Brown Treecreeper does not always forage in trees. Unlike most other treecreepers, it often spends just as much time foraging on the ground in eucalypt forests and woodlands. It hops over fallen branches and other debris where it gleans insects and other invertebrates from among the deep layers of leaf litter. However, when foraging in trees, the Brown Treecreeper spirals up the trunk in the characteristic manner of other treecreepers, gleaning insects from the surface or probing cracks and crevices in the bark. Brown Treecreepers are highly sociable birds, living and breeding communally. Each year, the previous year’s offspring will remain to help the breeding male feed the female and rear new chicks. Interestingly, it is usually only males who remain to perform this duty.

Feeding

The Brown Treecreeper climbs up the trunks and branches of trees in search of food. It probes into cavities and under loose bark with its long downward curving bill. In this way, it searches for insects and their larvae. The most favoured insects are ants. Some feeding also takes place on the ground on fallen logs. Sometimes, birds can be seen diving on ground-dwelling prey from a perch in a tree. Feeding normally takes place in pairs or small groups.

Breeding

The nest is a collection of grasses, feathers and other soft materials, placed in a suitable tree hollow or similar site. Both sexes build the nest. Their clutch size is 2 to 3 eggs, and only the female incubates the eggs (17 days). The nestling period is 26 days. Pairs often have two broods during each breeding season. Occasionally, other birds (“helpers”) assist the breeding pair with the building of the nest and feeding the young chicks. Breeding season is from June to January.