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Certhiidae

(Family)

Overview

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The treecreepers are a , Certhiidae, of small passerine birds, widespread in wooded regions of the Northern Hemisphere and sub-Saharan Africa. The family contains ten species in two genera, Certhia and Salpornis. Their plumage is dull-colored, and as their name implies, they climb over the surface of trees in search of food.

Distribution, Habitat and Movements

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Most species of treecreeper occur in the Palearctic and Indomalaya ecozones, from Western Europe to Japan and India. One species occurs in North America from Alaska to Nicaragua and another has a discontinuous distribution in sub-Saharan Africa and India. All species of treecreeper are found in forest and woodland habitats. The more northerly species are partly migratory, and those found i n warmer climates are thought to be resident, although information is lacking for many species.[1]

Description

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Treecreepers measure from 12 to 18 centimetres in length. Their bills are gently down-curved and rather long, used for probing bark for insects and spiders. They often climb up tree trunks in a helical path, hopping with their feet together; their toes are long and tipped with strongly curved claws for gripping. The longer tails of the Certhia treecreepers are stiffened to use as a prop while climbing, but those of the Spotted Creeper are shorter and not stiffened. Their songs and calls are thin and high-pitched.[2]

Behaviour

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Treecreepers are generally unobtrusive and are often indifferent to humans. They occur as singles or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups after fledging. Communal roosting has been observed in three species (and may occur in more), with as many as 20 birds sharing a roosting hole in order to conserve warmth.[1]

Treecreepers forage on the trunks of large trees. They move up the trunk in a progression of small hops. They fly to the bottom of a tree, then climb in in a spiral fashion searching for prey. The majority of their diet is composed of small invertebrates, including insects and their larvae, spiders, and pseudoscorpions. In hard times seeds and fruits may be taken, and a few species will also visit birdfeeders. Species in both genera have been recorded joining mixed-species feeding flocks.[1]

The treecreepers are monogamous and territorial. Nests and eggs vary between the genera. The Certhia treecreepers usually nest in a gap between the tree bark and the tree, whereas the nest of the Spotted Creeper is placed in the fork of a branch.[1] Incubation lasts 14 to 15 days, and young fledge after 15 to 16 days.[2]

Systematics

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The family consists of two subfamilies, each with one genus. Their distinctive anatomical and behavioral characteristics are discussed in their respective articles.

Some taxonomists place the nuthatches and treecreepers in a larger grouping with the wrens and gnatcatchers. This superfamily, the Certhioidea was based on phylogenetic studies using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, and was created to cover a clade of four families removed from a larger grouping of passerine birds, the Sylvioidea.[3] The fossil record for this group appears to be restricted to a foot bone of an early Miocene bird from Bavaria which has been identified as an extinct representative of the climbing Certhioidea, a clade comprising the treecreepers, Wallcreeper and nuthatches. It has been described as Certhiops rummeli.[4]

There are two other small bird families with treecreeper or creeper in their name, which are not closely related:

The woodcreepers (subfamily Dendrocolaptinae) also have a similar name.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Certhiidae is a member of the Superfamily Sylvioidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Certhiidae:

The Family Certhiidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Genera

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Auriparus

The Verdin (Auriparus flaviceps) is a species of . It is the only species in the genus Auriparus, and the only species in the family to be found in the New World. [more]

Campylorhynchus

Campylorhynchus is a genus of . [more]

Catherpes

The Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus) is a small wren, and is about 14.5 cm (5.75 inches) long. It ranges from far southern British Columbia and Montana south through much of Mexico to western Chiapas and east to Oklahoma and Texas. It is the only species in the genus Catherpes. [more]

Certhia

Certhia is the genus of containing the typical treecreepers, which together with the Spotted Creeper make up the family Certhiidae. [more]

Cinnycerthia

Cinnycerthia is a genus of in the Troglodytidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Cistothorus

Cistothorus is a genus of in the Troglodytidae family. [more]

Cyphorhinus

Cyphorhinus is a genus of in the Troglodytidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Donacobius

The Black-capped Donacobius (Donacobius atricapilla) is a conspicuous, vocal bird. It is found in tropical swamps and wetlands in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela; also Panama of Central America . [more]

Henicorhina

Henicorhina is the wood-wren ; these are birds in the family Troglodytidae. It contains the following species: [more]

Hylorchilus

Hylorchilus is a genus of in the Troglodytidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Microbates

Microbates is a genus of in the Polioptilidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Microcerculus

Microcerculus is a genus of in the wren family Troglodytidae. It contains the following species: [more]

Odontorchilus

Odontorchilus is a genus of in the Troglodytidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Polioptila

Polioptila is a genus of in the Polioptilidae family. It contains the following species: [more]

Ramphocaenus

The Long-billed Gnatwren, Ramphocaenus melanurus, is a very small in the gnatcatcher family. It is the only member of the genus Ramphocaenus (Vieillot, 1819). [more]

Salpinctes

A Genus in the Kingdom Animalia. [more]

Salpornis

The Spotted Creeper, Salpornis spilonotus, is a small bird, which is the only member of the subfamily Salpornithinae of the treecreeper family Certhiidae. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and northern India in open deciduous forest and mangrove swamps. It does not migrate other than local movements. [more]

Thryomanes

The Bewick's Wren (Thryomanes bewickii) is a native to North America. At about 14 cm long, it is gray-brown above, white below, with a long white eyebrow. While similar in appearance to the Carolina Wren, it has a long tail that is tipped in white. The song is loud and melodious, much like the song of other wrens. It lives in thickets, brush piles and hedgerows, open woodlands and scrubby areas, often near streams. Its range is from southern British Columbia, Nebraska, southern Ontario, and southwestern Pennsylvania south to Mexico, Arkansas and the northern Gulf States. It usually lays 5–7 eggs that are white with brown spots. [more]

Thryothorus

The Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus) is a common of wren, resident in the eastern half of the USA, the extreme south of Ontario, Canada, and the extreme northeast of Mexico. A distinct population in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, Belize and extreme north of Guatemala is treated either as a subspecies Thryothorus ludovicianus albinucha, or as a separate species, White-browed Wren Thryothorus albinucha. Following a 2006 review, these are the only wrens remaining in the genus Thryothorus. T. ludovicianus is the state bird of South Carolina; its specific name ludovicianus means "from Louisiana". [more]

Troglodytes

Troglodyte may refer to: [more]

Uropsila

The White-bellied Wren (Uropsila leucogastra) is a species of in the Troglodytidae family. It is monotypic within the genus Uropsila. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, and heavily degraded former forest. [more]

At least 3 species and subspecies belong to the Genus Uropsila.

More info about the Genus Uropsila may be found here.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Harrap, Simon (2008), "Family Certhiidae (Treecreepers)", in Josep, del Hoyo; Andrew, Elliott; David, Christie, Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 13, Penduline-tits to Shrikes, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 166–179, ISBN 978-84-96553-45-3 
  2. ^ a b Mead, Christopher J. (2003). "Holarctic Treecreepers". in Perrins, Christopher. The Firefly Encyclopedia of Birds. Firefly Books. pp. 538–540. ISBN 1-55297-777-3. 
  3. ^ Cracraft, J.; Barker, F. Keith; Braun, M. J.; Harshman, J.; Dyke, G.; Feinstein, J.; Stanley, S.; Cibois, A.; Schikler, P.; Beresford, P.; García-Moreno, J.; Sorenson, M. D.; Yuri, T.; Mindell. D. P. (2004) "Phylogenetic relationships among modern birds (Neornithes): Toward an avian tree of life." p468–489 in Assembling the tree of life (J. Cracraft and M. J. Donoghue, eds.). Oxford University Press, New York. ISBN 0195172345
  4. ^ Manegold, Albrecht (April 2008). "Earliest fossil record of the Certhioidea (treecreepers and allies) from the early Miocene of Germany". Journal of Ornithology 149 (2): 223–228. doi:10.1007/s10336-007-0263-9. 

Sources

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Last Revised: January 24, 2010
2010/01/24 02:07:29