Short-toed treecreeper

Certhia brachydactyla

The Short-toed treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) is a bird found in Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Woods and gardens across western Europe. It eats insects and other small invertebrates and seeds and nuts. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Certhia brachydactyla
Region	Europe
Found in	Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Portugal

🏡 Where the Short-toed treecreeper lives

Woods and gardens across western Europe.

🍽️ What it eats

🐛 Insects & bugs70%
🌰 Seeds & nuts30%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It spirals up tree trunks while looking for insects.

Hear the Short-toed treecreeper

Recorded by Christian Kerihuel (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1152949. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Short-toed treecreeper

Where does the Short-toed treecreeper live?

The Short-toed treecreeper lives in Netherlands, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. Woods and gardens across western Europe.

What does the Short-toed treecreeper eat?

insects and other small invertebrates (about 70%), seeds and nuts (about 30%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Short-toed treecreeper endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from Europe

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.