The Brown Creeper is a small, unique bird, which can be found all over Maine but is often under-detected because of its remarkable plumage. Coming in at just over five inches long, these little brown birds sport a splotchy brown back complete with slender streaks making them completely camouflaged against brindled bark. They use their long tails to brace themselves against trees, much like a woodpecker, but have a diagnostic behavior of only climbing up trunks as they forage. They are looking under the bark for invertebrates to feed on, and then they fly to the base of the next tree and begin their ascent. April is the best time to look for these birds because they are already claiming breeding territory and looking for mates, so they are very vocal. Their song is a melodic series of five phrases, mostly as single notes: a high note, a few descending notes in very quick succession, a high note again, then two notes each dropping in pitch. Many birders mistake this for a warbler’s song because of its tone and structure, but now is a good time to learn it since most warblers are still a few weeks away from migrating back to Maine.
Here’s an audio recording made by Fyn Kynd.
Photo by Nick Lund; Brown Creeper, Monhegan Island
Backyard Bird of the Month is a feature by Maine Audubon created for the Maine Home Garden News, the newsletter of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension: Garden and Yard
