Brown Treecreeper
Climacteris picumnus
A brownish treecreeper with a pale eyebrow and pale gray throat and chest. Pale gray streaks on brownish belly. In flight shows a broad buff wing-bar. Works its way up the tree trunks but also perches on stumps and sometimes forages on the ground. Favors more open country than White-throated Treecreeper. Makes a loud, repetitive, short, whistling call.
Identification
Adult birds are around 16.5 centimetres (6.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 26 centimetres (10 in), and weigh on average around 31.5 grams (1.11 oz). Adult plumage is light grey-brown above with light grey face and neck, darker grey on the crown with dark ear-coverts. The supercilium is prominent and pale on adults, while grey and indistinct on juveniles. The throat is cream to white and pale brown on the breast. The lower breast is streaked with fine black-grey and white. In flight a dark wing-bar is visible. Sexes of the species differ in plumage, with the uppermost breast of the male streaked black and white, while the female has rufous and white streaking. Juvenile plumage is different from that on the adult with the hind-neck, nape, crown and forehead darker than that of adult males.<p>The call has been described as a spink spink.
Taxonomy
Coenraad Jacob Temminck and Meiffren Laugier de Chartrouse described the brown treecreeper in 1824, and it still bears its original name today. It is one of six species of treecreeper found in Australia, and is most closely related to the rufous treecreeper (Climacteris rufus) of Western Australia and the black-tailed treecreeper (C. melanurus). All three occupy similar savannah and open woodland habitat, and have a sexually dimorphic marking on the upper breast or throat (black in the male, reddish in the female). They are thought to have been separated by breaks in suitable habitat in the past and hence diverged genetically.<p>Three subspecies have been described – subspecies picumnus is broadly distributed from the Grampians, Victoria, through central New South Wales to the Bunya Mountains, Queensland. The subspecies can be found in coastal catchments and drier areas on and west of the Great Divide, intergrading with subspecies victoriae, which is found on the Great Dividing Range from south-east Queensland to the Grampians, Victoria. Subspecies melanotus occurs from Cape York Peninsula south to near Cooktown, Queensland. Known as the black treecreeper, it has distinctive sooty brown plumage and is slightly smaller than the southern subspecies.<p>Woodpecker is a colloquial name, from its habit of spiralling up treetrunks.
- Scientific name
- Climacteris picumnus
- Authority
- Temminck, 1824
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Climacteridae
- Genus
- Climacteris
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
The conservation status of the brown treecreeper is considered of "least concern" by the IUCN, while the subspecies victoriae, is listed in New South Wales as Vulnerable under Schedule 2 of the Threatened Species Conservation Act (1995). Subspecies victoriae is listed as nationally Vulnerable by DCCEEW (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water), under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (1999).
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-legged Seriema
Chunga burmeisteri
Tall terrestrial predator of the Chaco region. Plumage distinctively shaggy. Prefers dense, spiny vegetation, often with thick undergrowth, but can occur in nearby open areas. Smaller and shyer than Red-legged Seriema. Despite its large size, can be difficult to see, and is more often detected by its loud, far-carrying song.
White-tailed Trogon
Trogon chionurus
This yellow-bellied trogon is fairly common from Panama to western Ecuador. Males have a dark head and breast with deep indigo iridescence, an iridescent turquoise or purplish back, and a plain white undertail. Females are grayer on the head and breast with a barred undertail that has large white tips on the tail feathers. Note the pale blue eyering. Compare with Gartered Trogon, which has a yellow eyering and different undertail pattern (barred with white tips on males, more black on females). Found singly or in pairs in forests, edges, and gardens up to around 1,000 m. Listen for accelerating series of “pow” notes and purring calls.
Large Elaenia
Elaenia spectabilis
Medium-sized migratory flycatcher found at forest edges, in second growth, and along streams. As with other elaenia species, it has an olive-brown back and yellowish belly. Note the three wingbars and short crest. Very similar to Yellow-bellied Elaenia, but it is larger and has smaller crest with no white and three (not two) wingbars. The song is a loud whistle while the dawn song is series of “twee-wee-tweet” notes.
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