BROWN CREEPER (Certhia familiaris): 5-5 3/4 in. Head and upper parts brown, becoming brighter on rump; long, curved bill; under parts whitish; buffy bar in wing seen in flight. Climbs upward in series of jerking movements often in a spiral about trunks and branches. Tail feathers stiff and pointed, aiding in creeping on vertical surfaces. Call a dainty, wiry, high-pitched see’, see’, se-teetle-te, see’, the first two notes and the last higher than the rest. Nests in crevices beneath loose bark.

Frequents trunks and larger branches chiefly of coniferous trees, usually where in dense mature stands. Redwoods, incense-cedars, and pines are frequented. R. in the Transition and Canadian life zones, dispersing irregularly to lower elevations in winter. Common in Yosemite Valley, especially in dense stands of incense-cedar and ponderosa pine.

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