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15

White-throated Treecreeper (Cormobates leucophaeus) Alternate name(s): "Little Treecreeper"; misnomer: "Woodpecker*" Size: 13-15 cm; wing span 19-26 cm Weight: 16-24 g

Australia: Family Group 15 Family Group 15 Table Noisy Pitta Rainbow Pitta Superb Lyrebird Albert's Lyrebird Noisy Scrub-bird Rufous Scrub-bird Rufous Bristlebird Western Bristlebird Black-tailed Treecreeper Red-browed Treecreeper White-browed Treecreeper Brown Treecreeper Rufous Treecreeper White-throated Treecreeper Hoopoe Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description White-throated Treecreepers have a dark grey-brown head and back. The upperwings are also dark grey-brown, with a rufous wing patch. The throat and chest are white, the belly is mostly dark grey-brown, with white streaking. The vent is white with dark-brown barring. White-throated Treecreepers do not have a visible eyebrow. Female White-throated Treecreepers have a small orange cheek mark that males don't have. The irises of both sexes are dark, the bill, legs and feet are all dark-grey.

Taxonomy, classification See White-throated Treecreeper at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the White-throated Treecreeper is available HERE . White-throated Treecreepers are endemic to Australia. There are in total five races of White-throated Treecreepers (for details see a field guide). Their range extends along the East coast and associated ranges from QLD through NSW and VIC, to about the VIC/SA border. Races "minor" and "intermedius" are found in the tablelands just off the East coast of northern and central QLD, respectively. Race "metastasis" ranges from just North of the tropic of Capricorn to roughly the Manning River in NSW, in a region encompassing also the Great Dividing Range behind the coastline. Further South, throughout eastern NSW and VIC towards the border with SA, race "leucophaeus" is found. Race "grisescens" exists only just to the North of Adelaide, SA. White-throated Treecreepers can be found in various types of forest, from rainforest to more open eucalypt forest and open woodland.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "leucophaeus" We first found White-throated Treecreepers, race "leucophaeus", during a visit to Wingham Brush NR in September 2011. M. Eaton found a White-throated Treecreeper, race "leucophaeus", at Barrington Tops NP, NSW, in December 2019. Race "metastasis" White-throated Treecreepers, race "metastasis", came to the place where we lived from 2003 to 2006, 20 km South of Narrabri, NSW, and into the adjacent bush area, Jack's Creek State Forest, infrequently. In late 2005, we also encountered a pair in Mt. Kaputar NP, some 50 km East of Narrabri. White-throated Treecreepers, race "metastasis", were spotted again in October of 2006 and on many other occasions in the Nandewar Range and other parts of the Great Dividing Range, e.g. in Deriah Aboriginal Area, near Maules Creek, Barraba, and Manilla, NSW. A nesting pair was seen at Dripping Rock, near Maules Creek, NSW, in October 2011. More White-browed Treecreepers were seen by R. Druce in Leard State Forest, NSW, in November 2012. They were also found by us at Warrumbungle NP in December 2012. M. Mearns reports spotting White-throated Treecreepers, race "metastasis", at Bunya Mountains NP, QLD, in December 2015.

Photos

Race "leucophaeus"

ADULT

MALE

View of the back of a male White-throated Treecreeper in rainforest
[Wingham Brush NR, NSW, September 2011]

FEMALE

Near-lateral view of a female White-throated Treecreeper (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Barrington Tops NP, NSW, December 2019]

Race "metastasis"

ADULT

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]

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]

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Dec

Eggs: 2 - 4

Incubation period: 21 - 22 days

Fledging age: 25 days

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]

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

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.

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]

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