Treecreeper

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Treecreeper, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Green listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	Bern(III)

The UK Treecreeper population peaked in the mid 1970s, but has been roughly stable since about 1980. Numbers across Europe have been broadly stable since 1980 (PECBMS: PECBMS 2020a>).

UK breeding population

No population change in UK (1967–2022)

During 2007–11

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Occupied 10-km squares in UK

No. occupied in breeding season	2319
% occupied in breeding season	77
No. occupied in winter	2400
% occupied in winter	79

European Distribution Map

European Breeding Bird Atlas 2

Breeding Season Habitats

Most frequent in

Deciduous Wood

Relative frequency by habitat

Relative occurrence in different habitat types during the breeding season.

Treecreeper overall range size has reduced by only 5% but this conceals noticeable losses in southwest England, eastern England and southwest Ireland which are partially offset by gains in Scotland and northwest Ireland. The latter may result from the creation and maturation of new woodland.

Treecreeper is recorded throughout the year.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing	8 years 8 months 7 days (set in 2017)
Typical Lifespan	2 years with breeding typically at 1 year
Adult Survival	0.477±0.05

Wing Length	Adults	63.1±2.1 | Range 60–66mm, N=2126
	Juveniles	63±2.1 | Range 60-66mm, N=1530
	Males	64.4±1.6 | Range 62–67mm, N=422
	Females	61.9±1.8 | Range 59–65.5mm, N=293

Body Weight	Adults	8.80±0.7 | Range 7.80–10.0g, N=1762
	Juveniles	8.70±0.7 | Range 7.70–9.90g, N=1114
	Males	8.90±0.5 | Range 8.20–9.80g, N=360
	Females	8.90±0.9 | Range 7.80–10.5g, N=226

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	AA
Field Codes	2-letter: TC | 5-letter code: TREEC | Euring: 14860

For information in another language (where available) click on a linked name

Causes of change

The causes of change are unclear although changes to winter weather may have affected survival rates.

Further information on causes of change

Intensive study has shown that Treecreeper numbers and survival rates are reduced by wet winter weather (Peach et al. 1995b). The influence of cold weather is also evident in the low start to the index, following the severe winter of 1962/63, and the trough around 1980. Productivity, calculated using CES data, shows fluctuations since the 1980s. Nest failure rates at the egg stage fell in the 1970s and 1980s but has subsequently increased, and the number of fledglings per breeding attempt shows the opposite pattern and is now slightly lower than in the late 1960s. The trend towards earlier laying can be partly explained by recent climate change (Crick & Sparks 1999).

Information about conservation actions

The population of this species has increased consistently since the 1970s and it has expanded its range northwards, hence it is not a species of concern and no conservation actions are currently required.

Conservation actions benefiting other woodland species may also help Nuthatch. Habitat fragmentation may prevent Nuthatches from finding new sites (Verboom et al. 1991; Bellamy et al. 1998; van Langevelde 2008), and the provision of more frequent suitable patches of woodland across the landscape may therefore enable further colonisation and range expansion. Fragmentation may explain why numbers are relatively low and there are gaps in distribution in eastern England (Bellamy et al. 1998).