Migratory Status: Short-distance migrant
PIF Population Estimate: 
5 400 000
Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: <25%
BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 57.2
PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 80
Canadian BBS Population trend: 4.7 (0.6 to 8.8)
Life History
The Brown Creeper is the only species of tree creeper in North America and represents the only North American member of the family Certhiidae. Due to the cryptic plumage and high-pitched vocalizations of the Brown Creeper, it often goes unnoticed on formal surveys. As a result, estimates of the population size and distribution of this species may be underestimated.
The species’ breeding range within the boreal forest region extends over most of the southern boreal forest, from Newfoundland to east-central British Columbia. Within the boreal forest, populations are primarily considered migratory. They are permanent residents along much of the Pacific coast, the southern Rocky Mountains, and in the Great Lakes/Acadian forests of eastern Canada and the northeastern United States. The winter range includes most forested regions of southern Canada and the lower forty-eight states of the United States.
The foraging behaviour of the Brown Creeper is somewhat unique in that birds start at the base of a tree and forage up and around the trunk using a series of short, jerky hops. As the bird reaches the top of an individual tree, where increasing branch density begins to impair vertical movement, it flies down to the base of the same tree or of an adjacent tree. For nesting, the Brown Creeper uses a niche that is unique from all other North American passerine birds. Their nests are usually well concealed within cracks in tree bark or behind loose pieces of bark that have pulled away from dead or dying trees.
Throughout it breeding range, the species utilizes a wide variety of habitats, but consistently prefers older, conifer-dominated sites.
Reference(s)
Hejl, S. J., K. R. Newlon, M. E. McFadzen, J. S. Young, and C. K. Ghalambor. 2002. Brown Creeper (Certhia americana), The Birds of North America, No. 669. A. Poole and F. Gill, eds. The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists's Union, Washington, D.C.
