Badger Tracks

By Anita Carpenter

A Life of Ups and Downs

     In the stillness of a deciduous woods, a slender, five-inch brown bird spirals up and around a tree trunk. This active little bird pauses every now and then to inspect the bark looking for hidden insects, eggs, or larvae. It moves on to explore the tree's horizontal limbs, often hanging upside down under the branches. Once the tree is fully examined, the bird flies to the base of a neighboring tree and repeats its spiraling ascent.

     A common Wisconsin resident, brown creepers, Certhia americana, are not easy to detect. With their brown and white streaked plumage and white underparts, the birds are perfectly camouflaged and almost invisible when they are clinging to tree bark. They can be seen year-round in deciduous and coniferous woods but chances of observing them improve during migration periods in April and October into November. These tiny sprites tend to be solitary most of the year but may be found in mixed flocks with chickadees and nuthatches during migration.

     Brown creepers are well adapted for spending most of their lives in the vertical world of tree trunks. Their long-pointed tail feathers support the birds as they hitch their way up a tree. They also have long, sharp, decurved claws to aid in grasping tree bark. Their decurved bills are ideal for probing deeply into fissures or behind bark to extract juicy morsels. At night they roost hanging onto tree bark.

     Brown creepers place their small, well-hidden nests behind loose bark or in a tree crevice. Built by both adults, the nest is constructed with small sticks and leaves and lined with grass and moss.

     Both birds take turns incubating an average of six, 3/8-inch-long white eggs for 14 to 15 days. Young leave the nest 15 days later, not yet expert fliers but accomplished climbers.

     Because brown creepers are not big, bold, flashy, brightly-colored, or vocal, and are arguably the best camouflaged of any bird species in Wisconsin, how do you find brown creepers? You must become a tree watcher. You may gaze at hundreds of tree trunks and may see many white and red-breasted nuthatches and woodpeckers before that tell-tale spiraling movement catches your eye. Inevitably, just as soon as you thought you saw movement, the creeper disappears to the tree's far side and may reappear several feet higher than where you last spotted it. Or, it may have flown to the base of another tree. Patience and perseverance are a must if you wish to see one.     

     The elusive birds may also be located by their call notes. However, the short, lispy calls are very soft, high-pitched, and don't carry very far. They may also be drowned out by other woodland sounds.

      Brown creepers are seldom attracted to bird feeders but that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch for them. During migration, though some may stay here through winter, they may spiral up a tree outside your back door. But if your eyes aren't alert to the subtle brown movement and your ears are tuned to the radio instead of nature's music, you will never realize these secretive birds are so clo

January-February-March 2026