The Brown Treecreeper, Australia’s largest treecreeper, is a grey-brown bird with black streaking on the lower breast and belly and black bars on the undertail. Pale buff bands across the flight feathers are obvious in flight. The face is pale, with a dark line through the eye, and a dark crown. Sexes differ slightly in all plumages, with small patches of black and white streaking on the centre of the uppermost breast on males, while the females exhibit a rufous and white streaking. Juveniles differ from adults mainly by the pattern of the under-body, and by their a pale bill and gape. Subspecies victoriae is distinguished from subspecies picumnus by colour differences on the face, body and tail markings. The two subspecies grade into each other through central NSW. Individuals are active, noisy and conspicuous, and give a loud ‘pink’ call, often repeated in contact, and sometimes given in a series of 5 – 10 descending notes. Breeds from July to Feb across its range.
Distribution
The Brown Treecreeper is endemic to eastern Australia and occurs in eucalypt forests and woodlands of inland plains and slopes of the Great Dividing Range. It is less commonly found on coastal plains and ranges.
The western boundary of the range of Climacteris picumnus victoriae runs approximately through Corowa, Wagga Wagga, Temora, Forbes, Dubbo and Inverell and along this line the subspecies intergrades with the arid zone subspecies of Brown Treecreeper Climacteris picumnus picumnus which then occupies the remaining parts of the state.
The eastern subspecies lives in eastern NSW in eucalypt woodlands through central NSW and in coastal areas with drier open woodlands such as the Snowy River Valley, Cumberland Plains, Hunter Valley and parts of the Richmond and Clarence Valleys.
The population density of this subspecies has been greatly reduced over much of its range, with major declines recorded in central NSW and the northern and southern tablelands. Declines have occurred in remnant vegetation fragments smaller than 300 hectares, that have been isolated or fragmented for more than 50 years.
Habitat and ecology
- Found in eucalypt woodlands (including Box-Gum Woodland) and dry open forest of the inland slopes and plains inland of the Great Dividing Range; mainly inhabits woodlands dominated by stringybarks or other rough-barked eucalypts, usually with an open grassy understorey, sometimes with one or more shrub species; also found in mallee and River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) Forest bordering wetlands with an open understorey of acacias, saltbush, lignum, cumbungi and grasses; usually not found in woodlands with a dense shrub layer; fallen timber is an important habitat component for foraging; also recorded, though less commonly, in similar woodland habitats on the coastal ranges and plains.
- Sedentary, considered to be resident in many locations throughout its range; present in all seasons or year-round at many sites; territorial year-round, though some birds may disperse locally after breeding.
- Gregarious and usually observed in pairs or small groups of 8 to 12 birds; terrestrial and arboreal in about equal proportions; active, noisy and conspicuous while foraging on trunks and branches of trees and amongst fallen timber; spend much more time foraging on the ground and fallen logs than other treecreepers.
- When foraging in trees and on the ground, they peck and probe for insects, mostly ants, amongst the litter, tussocks and fallen timber, and along trunks and lateral branches; up to 80% of the diet is comprised of ants; other invertebrates (including spiders, insects larvae, moths, beetles, flies, hemipteran bugs, cockroaches, termites and lacewings) make up the remaining percentage; nectar from Mugga Ironbark (Eucalyptus sideroxylon) and paperbarks, and sap from an unidentified eucalypt are also eaten, along with lizards and food scraps; young birds are fed ants, insect larvae, moths, craneflies, spiders and butterfly and moth larvae.
- Hollows in standing dead or live trees and tree stumps are essential for nesting.
- The species breeds in pairs or co-operatively in territories which range in size from 1.1 to 10.7 ha (mean = 4.4 ha). Each group is composed of a breeding pair with retained male offspring and, rarely, retained female offspring. Often in pairs or cooperatively breeding groups of two to five birds.