This gentle, little bird quietly moves around on the trunks and larger limbs of trees with furrowed bark. It will often “creep” up a tree searching crevices and carpets of moss with its slender, slightly curved bill. Once it climbs up into the middle or top part of the tree, it will often fly back down near the base of a different or the same tree. I also see it fly only part of the way down the tree or out onto a larger limb. As it flies back down, I will often hear it give a twittering call. Sometimes I will see it do a slight shuffle motion when it is on a thick mat of moss. I wonder if it is possibly trying to stir up insects or if it is simply trying to get its footing. Their diet mostly includes insects, insect larvae, spiders and spider eggs.
The brown creeper has exceptional camouflage. The top half of its body has a beautiful, mottled pattern that resembles dappled sunlight. The Kaufman Field Guide to Birds of North America says the brown creeper is “like a piece of bark come alive.” It has stiff tail feathers that it uses to brace itself as it forages, similar to woodpeckers.
Their subtle vocalizations are bright and pleasant. Click the link to All About Birds by the Cornell Lab to listen:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown_Creeper/sounds
