Scientific name: Certhia familiaris Linnaeus, 1758
Bird group: Wall- and Treecreepers
Field characters. 12.5 cm. Difficult to distinguish from Short-toed Treecreeper. Mouse-like rufous brown bird with long curved bill, white underparts and pointed tail feathers. Main field marks to distinguish it from Short-toed Treecreeper are the much whiter appearance, due to lack of rufous flanks, the white supercilium, starting at bill base and especially broad behind eye, less equally spaced primary tips, and voice. Found higher up in mountains and more often in coniferous woods, but large overlap in ranges occur. Habits like Short-toed Treecreeper.
Voice. Variety of tit-like calls. Characteristic are a loud 'tsrrie' and song, different from Short-toed Treecreeper resembling Firecrest, high and soft but speeding-up and rising 'tsee tsee tsee tseetsee dzidzi tsee'.
Distribution. Common resident. Some migration occurs in northern and eastern populations.
Habitat. Mature trees, more often in coniferous woodland than Short-toed Treecreeper; outside breeding season also found in bushes, hedgerows, etc.
Food. Small invertebrates. Forages same way as Short-toed Treecreeper.