The White-throated Treecreeper

The White-throated Treecreeper is usually located by its probing piping call which is a common sound along the treed waterways and roadsides throughout our district. They are also known for their unique foraging behaviour. With great skill they spiral up the trunks and larger branches of eucalypts, climbing head first up the tree, probing fissures in the bark in search of insects. This pattern of behaviour sets treecreepers apart from other birds. When they reach the top, they glide down to the base of a nearby tree and resume their spiral foraging process. The White-throated Treecreeper is dark brown, with a distinctive white throat and chest, and white streaks on its flanks, edged with black. The wings have a red bar that is visible in flight and the undertail is barred. The female has an orange mark on the sides of the face. These treecreepers spend most of the time foraging in trees and moving with short, spiraling flight. The only other treecreeper in our district is the brown treecreeper, which differs in several ways including spending more time foraging on fallen logs and on bare ground. The White-throated Treecreeper is found throughout south east mainland Australia and prefers forests, woodlands and timbered river areas. They are rarely seen on the ground and live in permanent territories. The White-throated Treecreepers feed mainly on ants, but will eat other invertebrates such as spiders, beetles and other bugs, as well as nectar. They are often seen flicking bits of bark into the air from branch crevices to excavate their prey. They regularly travel in pairs throughout their territory making frequent contact calls including a strident piping call that may continue for minutes. The female White-throated Treecreeper builds a cup-shaped nest composed of fur, hair, feathers, and moss in a hollow in a tree usually four to five metres above ground and incubates the eggs. Both sexes care for the young, and juvenile birds may be seen foraging with their parents throughout the year. Two broods may be raised in a season. Outside breeding season, at this time of year, White-throated Treecreepers often become part of small mixed species foraging flocks with other small insectivorous birds including several species of thornbills, fantails, and whistlers. Given their need for hollows, they are often not found in regrowth trees; however they respond well to erecting correctly-sized nest boxes to breed in.

The White-throated Treecreeper

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