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White-throated TreecreeperAlternate name(s): "Little Treecreeper"; misnomer: "Woodpecker*" Size: 13-15 cm; wing span 19-26 cm Weight: 16-24 g |
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Similar |
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Photos |
Race "leucophaeus"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
View of the back of a male White-throated Treecreeper in
rainforest
[Wingham Brush NR,
NSW, September 2011]
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FEMALE |
Near-lateral view of a female White-throated Treecreeper
(photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barrington Tops NP,
NSW, December 2019]
Race "metastasis"
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ADULT |
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MALE |
Frontal view of a male White-throated Treecreeper; note the
absence of an orange cheek spot
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, September 2010]
Near-frontal view of a male White-throated Treecreeper
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]
Near-lateral view of a male White-throated Treecreeper
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2013]
Lateral view of a male White-throated Treecreeper with its head turned
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, December 2013]
Lateral view of a male White-throated Treecreeper
[Maules Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Lateral view of a male White-throated
Treecreeper that was observed feeding a juvenile
Black-eared Cuckoo;
more information on these birds is available
HERE
[Near Eulah Creek, NSW, December 2018]
Lateral view of an air-borne male White-throated Treecreeper
(photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Leard State Forest, near
Maules Creek, NSW, November 2012]
Lateral view of a male White-throated Treecreeper (photo courtesy
of R. Druce)
[Leard State Forest, near
Maules Creek, NSW, October 2012]
Dorsal view of a male White-throated Treecreeper, with its head turned;
in this posture identification is easy
[Warrumbungle NP,
NSW, December2012]
Dorsal view of a male White-throated Treecreeper; now the bird is
very well camouflaged and hard to identify
[Warrumbungle NP,
NSW, December2012]
Male White-throated Treecreeper seen from underneath
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, September 2010]
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FEMALE |
Near-frontal view of a female White-throated Treecreeper
studying the photographer
[Pilliga scrub,
NSW, December 2011]
Lateral view of a female White-throated Treecreeper
(photo courtesy of C. Kellenberg)
Lateral view of a female White-throated Treecreeper
[20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, April 2006]
Female White-throated Treecreeper, different viewing angle
[January 2011]
Female White-throated Treecreeper, another angle (photo courtesy of R. Druce)
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, June 2012]
The same White-throated Treecreeper as shown above, now seen climbing a
tree trunk
[Pilliga scrub,
NSW, December 2011]
In different light conditions White-throated Treecreepers can appear much
darker than shown above
[August 2007]
Distant views, taken in faint light at sunset, of a female White-throated
Treecreeper taking a bath
[Pilliga scrub,
NSW, September 2013]
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Breeding information |
Breeding season: Aug - Dec | Eggs: 2 - 4 | Incubation period: 21 - 22 days | Fledging age: 25 days |
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Nest |
"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal] |
Type: Tree hollow | Material: Bark, fur, grass | Height above ground: 1.5 - 20 m |
All species of Australian treecreepers build grass (and/or bark) nests inside tree hollows, either in tree trunks or dead limbs.
Two White-throated Treecreeper chicks waiting in their nest; this hollow
was only about 1.5 m above ground, which enabled us to take photos from
this perspective
[Dripping Rock, near Maules Creek, NSW, October 2011]
The White-throated Treecreeper chicks' calls for food is what alerted us
to the nest's location
[Dripping Rock, near Maules Creek, NSW, October 2011]
Food has arrived for White-throated Treecreeper chicks - dinnertime!
[Dripping Rock, near Maules Creek, NSW, October 2011]
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Eggs |
"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay] |
Size: 23 x 17 mm | Colour: White with sparse brown specks | Shape: Tapered oval |
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Behaviour |
Social behaviour: Territorial | Mobility: Sedentary | Elementary unit: Pair |
White-throated Treecreepers can often be seen in pairs or family units, hunting for insects starting from the bottom of a tree going upwards.
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Food, Diet |
Like all treecreepers, White-throated Treecreepers forage for insects in the bark of trees and fallen timber.
As the photo below shows, they forage not only on trees, but along rock faces as well.
Male White-throated Treecreeper foraging on a rockface
[Mt. Kaputar NP,
NSW, November 2011]
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Call(s)/Song |
For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The
interpretation of their meaning is our own;
comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.
Once their loud, piercingly sharp, calls are known to the observer, White-throated Treecreepers are easy to locate in the bush. The calls have one of the highest volumes of any bird species in the neighbourhood.
wttrcrp_20140226.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20180131.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Contact calls | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20151016_2.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Territorial calls(?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20151016_3.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Territorial calls(?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20211210.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Territorial calls(?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20200801.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Territorial calls(?) (Q&A) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20151016.m4a |
metastasis (W NSW) |
Male (calling female?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20141225.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Feeding call(?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20190912.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Pair Q&A (foraging & feeding) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20190912_2.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Pair Q&A (foraging & feeding) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20180131_2.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
? (Q&A?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_20191014.m4a |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
? (male; going to roost?) | © MD | |
wttrcrp_me_20200927.m4a |
minor (N QLD) |
Male calling female? | © ME | |
wttrcrp_me_20230816.mp3 |
minor (N QLD) |
Territorial calls? (+ Fernwren) |
© ME |
On 13 March 2014 we noticed the following peculiarity: On five separate occasions a White-throated Treecreeper "triggered" a response by a group of Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters. Our recordings suggest a direct relation between the White-throated Treecreeper's call and the response. A single chirp did not warrant a response, but repeated calls did. The more vigorous the White-throated Treecreeper call, the more energetic the response by the Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters. The recordings are sorted by the intensity of the calls. In the last recording of the sequence, the Yellow-tufted Honeyeaters are "triggered" twice in quick succession.
yelthon_20140313_6.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Triggering other species | © MD | |
yelthon_20140313_5.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Triggering other species | © MD | |
yelthon_20140313_4.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Triggering other species | © MD | |
yelthon_20140313.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Triggering other species | © MD | |
yelthon_20140313_2.mp3 |
metastasis (NW NSW) |
Triggering other species | © MD |