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Eurasian treecreeper

    Eurasian treecreeper

    Certhia familiaris


Castilian: Agateador norteño

Catalan: Raspinell pirinenc

Gallego: Gabeador norteño

Euskera: Basoetako gerri-txoria


CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Certhiidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident


CONSERVATION STATUS:

On the National List of Threatened Species, it appears in the “Of Special Interest” category. In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

The populations of this bird in Spain, isolated and of high biological value, are threatened by bad forest management policies, tree felling and fragmentation of these areas.


Length / size: 12,5 cm / 17,5-21 cm

Identification: Very small bird whose belly is white and whose back is very cryptic in the middle, with light and dark brown colours with lighter spots. Its bill is long, thin, and curved downward, and its forehead is contrastive. It is very similar to the short-toed treecreeper, but this bird can be distinguished from that one mostly by its song. It climbs in a particular way, supporting its body on its long tail.

Song: Long series of whistles made by both sexes, sometimes in a duet, speeding up and slowing down: "cheereereereeree".

Diet: It primarily feeds on arachnids and insects, which it complements with conifer seeds during winter.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in April. The female is helped on some occasions by the male to build the nest, choosing hollow tree trunks as the site. She is also the one that incubates the eggs, but both parents participate in caring for the chicks. The chicks often leave the nest prematurely and are fed while they crawl about the trunk.


HABITAT

It prefers mature alpine forests. Higher concentrations are found in forests containing beeches, firs, oaks, and wild and black pines. It is found between 800 and 2,000 metres of altitude.


DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the Pyrenees, and Cantabrian mountain range, and the Northern Iberian System.

In Castile and León: There are two isolated concentrations above 1,000 metres: in the Cantabrian Mountains (León-Palencia) and the Iberian System (Burgos-Soria). The highest breeding densities are found in León.

Movements and migrations: It migrates partially in search of food in winter, descending in altitude; European specimens arrive to the Iberian Peninsula.


POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of less than 40000 breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: