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Birds

Birds

Common name Short-toed treecreeper
Scientific name Certhia brachydactyla
Type Forest birds
Status Resident

Small bird (about 12 cm or 4.5 in) difficult to detect. It has a relatively long tail and a characteristic fine, long and curved bill. The upper part of the body is brown and the underparts are light coloured. The wings have a mosaic of brown colours with small light, grey or cream-coloured spots that allow the bird to camouflage perfectly. When the Short-Toed Treecreeper moves it is unmistakable because it looks like a small mouse climbing up tree trunks. It advances through the bark easily, spiraling up to fly to the base of another tree.

Habitats

Woodland environment

Where it lives

It lives in woods and all types of forest systems, both deciduous and evergreen; in parks and gardens, in olive groves and tree crops, in grassland and thickets. Frequent in holm, cork and Portuguese oak woods and pine woods. Absent in areas lacking in trees.

How it lives

The Short-Toed Treecreeper is a resident bird all year round in Malaga. It breeds from March, laying twice 6 to 7 eggs each time. The nest is usually placed in cracks and holes in trees. This bird feeds on spiders, insects and their larvae, that it captures in the bark of trees while climbing up the trunk, exploring the cracks with its bill.

Where it can be seen in Malaga

It is a frequent bird, present in all the forest stages of the Great Path. For example, it can be observed in stages 5, 6, 7, 23, 24, 25, 27, 28, 31, 33 and 34.

Curious facts

Short-toed treecreepers are of great value in the fight against forest pests. They actually feed on all the larvae of those boring insects or those that cause tree diseases.

Routes where it can be observed
Present
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Wintering Summer Resident Migration
Audios