Brown Creeper (Certhia familiaris)
Length 5 inches. Breeds from Alaska and Canada south to the Great
Lakes States and Connecticut; also in the mountains south to
Nicaragua; winters over most of its range.
Rarely indeed is the creeper seen at rest. It appears to spend its life
in an incessant scramble over the trunks and branches of trees,
gleaning its insect food. It is so protectively colored as to be
practically invisible to its enemies and, though delicately built,
possesses strong feet and claws. Its tiny eyes are sharp enough to
detect insects so small that most other species pass them by. The
creeper fills a unique place in the ranks of our insect destroyers:
minute insects, their eggs and larvae, moths, caterpillars, small
wasps, scales, and plant lice are items of its diet.
It does not appear in flocks. Single birds or pairs will feed infrequently
on beef suet at bird stations, but it is seldom a regular visitor.