Short-toed treecreeper

    Certhia brachydactyla

Castilian: Agateador común

Catalan: Raspinell comú

Gallego: Gabeador común

Euskera: Gerri-txori arrunta

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”.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

listen song

THREATS

It is a bird that is very harmed by the use of pesticides and by the fragmentation of wooded landscapes.

Length / size: 12 cm / 17,5-20 cm

Identification: Very small bird with cryptic plumage. Its back and wings are greyish-brown with lighter spots; its breast and underparts are also light and are not usually visible because this bird constantly climbs with its body very close to tree trunks. Its bill is thin, long and curved, and its tail is brown and long, and is used as a support for climbing.

Song: It makes high-pitched, incessant "tweet" sounds while it moves about the trunk. It is a key feature for distinguishing it from the northern treecreeper.

Diet: It is strictly insectivorous, eating arachnids and adult insects and their larvae, which it looks for in the bark of tree trunks and branches.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in March. The female is in charge of building the nest with occasional help from the male; they place it in hollow trunks or cracks. It is not very compact and is composed of branches, bark, needles, and moss, and covered with feathers. The female is in charge of incubating the eggs, but feeding the chicks is done by both parents.

HABITAT

It occupies forest areas with significant levels of cover and is found at higher altitudes than the treecreeper. In drier areas, it is concentrated in river meadows.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: Quite common in the peninsula except for areas that lack forest cover, such as grain-producing plains and the Ebro, Guadiana, Guadalquivir, Tajo and Duero valleys.

In Castile and León: Numerous and widespread in all the provinces. The highest densities are located in León, Segovia, northern Zamora and southern Burgos.

Movements and migrations: It is a sedentary nesting species, remaining the entire year in its territory although in winter it can descend to lower areas.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 2.6 to 7.3 million breeding pairs in Europe, with the peninsular populations being the most concentrated.

In Castile and León: