Birds of the Upper Cumberland Region: Species Accounts

Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

Brown Creeper [dorsal view of adult]: Photograph Credit: Rickey Shive; Metcalfe County Park, Metcalfe County, Kentucky; 21 March 2020.

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Abundance: Uncommon during late fall, winter, and early spring; recorded in 25 Regional counties (Map of UCR Distribution), being unreported only in Clinton County, Kentucky; the Regional wintering population trend is uncertain, because the data on which this determination is based are inadequate to make such a determination (see also Regional Bird-Monitoring Plan).

Status: Winter Resident; photograph (see above).

Regional High Count and CBC/CBB High Count: 14 (22 December 1999; Clay County, Tennessee [CBC]; m. ob.; and 23 December 2010; Cumberland County, Tennessee [Crossville CBC]; m. ob.).

Regional Extreme Dates:

    Early Fall: x (

    Late Spring: x (

Note: Fall arrival usually widespread by 25 October; spring departure usually mostly complete by 5 April. Regional dates of earliest reported fall arrival and latest reported spring departure during winters from 2002–2003 to 2011–2012 follow:

Breeding: No evidence of Regional breeding by this species has come to light, but the creeper, besides breeding somewhat commonly at high elevation in the eastern mountains of Tennessee, is also confirmed as a rare breeder in west Tennessee (Nicholson 1997) and in west Kentucky (Palmer-Ball 1996), as well as in Davidson and Grundy (adjacent to the Region) counties in the Middle of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee (Nicholson 1997), so it may eventually be discovered as an occasional breeder in the Region.

Habitat: Microhabitat (i.e., crevices in the bark of limbs and trunks of trees) of importance to this species, which generally is found in mature forests of various types. 

YardWatch Results 2003 and 2004: Registered on 22 (of 125) monthly check-lists during 2003 and on 34 (of 206) check-lists during 2004, leading to a YardWatch frequency classification of Fairly Common during each year; this YardWatch frequency classification is somewhat inconsistent with the overall Regional abundance classification, indicating that the creeper is more frequently encountered in Regional yards and neighborhoods than in the Region generally.

Remarks: The creeper is one of the species that associates with chickadees and titmice in foraging flocks during winter; it associates with such flocks less frequently than do the White-breasted Nuthatch and the Downy Woodpecker, but it may associate with such flocks about as frequently as does the Golden-crowned Kinglet.

    The Regional High Count (above) was obtained during two Christmas Bird Counts and is based on the collective efforts of several parties of field workers in each case.  In areas where large amounts of optimal habitat for this species are present, somewhat similar counts may be obtained with less effort; for example, during a 6.4-hr, 24-km hike along the Pilot-Wines Horse Trail in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Scott County, Tennessee, a count of 11 was made 7 November 1998 (Stedman and Stedman 2002).

Check-lists of Birds for the Counties of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of each county of the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed by clicking on the links below. For each county, there are two check-lists: one list that shows the species that have been observed and where possible documented in the county within the larger list for the entire Region; and one list that includes only the species observed in the county with annotations for the date and observers for at least one sighting (the ultimate goal of the latter list will be to include annotations for the very first known Regional observation of each species in that county; this goal is probably one that will take many years to complete, if completion is even a possibility). To see if the species discussed in this species account has been observed in a county, click below or click on the link for the Map of UCR Distribution near the top of the page.

Check-lists of Birds for Some Public Access Birding Sites of the UCR

Check-lists of the birds of some public access birding sites within the Upper Cumberland Region may be viewed via the links below. To see if the species dealt with in this species account has been observed within any of these sites, click on the appropriate link below. See the pages for each county within the Gazetteer for links to additional smaller public access birding sites with check-lists in progress.

Literature Cited