Wild Guide: Brown Creeper

Brown creepers are streaked with black, gray, and brown with white underparts. Their tails are stiff, like woodpeckers, which helps in climbing trees. Their bill is long and downcurved. The song is a high-pitched series of lispy whistles, see-see-see-sese-see or tsi-ti-whe-tu-we, also high-pitched tsee or tsi calls. In spring and fall, creepers are usually present in most woodlands and forests and are relatively common. A few remain through winter.

Did You Know?

In January, if and when a cold snap occurs, many creepers apparently leave the upland forests and move to forests and second-growth woodlands in valleys and floodplains of streams and rivers. In the southern third of the state, creepers are more abundant during winter and are present in most forested areas.