Brown creepers are the only North American birds that rely on both the trunk and bark of trees for both nesting and foraging.

They are small birds, about five inches in length, and have a long, slender, down-curved bill used to probe for insects hidden in the furrows of tree bark. Their brown back, streaked with white, makes creepers on of the best-camouflaged girds of the forest. They most often forage upward from the base of a tree, using their long, stiff tail for support.

The Brown creeper breeds and winters throughout forested areas of Oregon, from the coast to the west Cascades and on the east slope of the southern Oregon Cascades. It is predominantly found in conifer forests, but also in oak woodlands and urban areas, especially in winter.

Hear the call of the Brown creeper

Photo by ©Keith Kohl, ODFW