Certhiidae

▪ bird family

      songbird family, order Passeriformes, consisting of most of the tree creepers, small climbing birds found throughout woodlands of the Northern Hemisphere.

      Members range in size from 9.5 to 19 cm (3 ¹/₂ to 7 ¹/₂ inches) long. They have downcurved bills as long as, or longer than, the rest of the head; short, strong legs; and long, stiff tail feathers. These solitary, brownish birds climb tree trunks and large limbs, probing bark in search of insects. The common tree creeper (Certhia familiaris), of cool woodlands, ascends trees in a spiral manner as it feeds; it is called brown creeper in North America. Salpornis spilonata, the spotted creeper of Africa, is tentatively included in the family. The Australian tree creepers are classified in a separate family, Climacteridae.

      The Certhiidae belongs to the songbird suborder (Passeres).

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