African Spotted Creeper

Overview

The African spotted creeper is a small passerine bird found in sub-Saharan Africa. It is a non-migratory species that typically inhabits open deciduous forests and mango groves.

Identification

• Strongly spotted and barred plumage
• Weighs up to 16 grams, twice as much as treecreepers of similar length
• Up to 15 cm in length
• Long, thin, pointed down-curved bill

Habitat

It lives in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically in open deciduous forest and mango groves. Four distinct subspecies are distributed from West Africa, including the Ethiopian highlands, to East and Southern Africa.

Diet

The bird uses its long, thin, pointed down-curved bill to extricate insects from bark.

Did you know?

Unlike the similar Certhia treecreepers, the African spotted creeper lacks the stiff tail feathers used for support on vertical trees, and its nests are cup-shaped on horizontal branches camouflaged with spiders' egg sacs and caterpillar frass.