And the bush has friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him, In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wonderous glory of the everlasting stars.

Banjo Paterson (1889)

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Rufous Treecreeper

A short video of Rufous Treecreepers (Climacteris rufa) filmed in Wandoo woodland east of Perth.

Australiasian Treecreepers belong to the family Climacteridae. The Australasian Treecreepers are a small family composed of 7 species in two genera (Cormobates, Climacteris). One species inhabits the mountains of New Guinea (Papuan Treecreeper Cormobates placens) and the rest are restricted to Australia. As the name suggests, this group fills the "creeper" niche in Australasia, working up the main trunks and branches of Australian woodlands.

Treecreepers forage for insects and other small creatures living on and under the bark of trees, mostly eucalypts, though several species also hunt on the ground, through leaf-litter, and on fallen timber. Unlike the Holarctic treecreepers they do not use their tail for support when climbing tree trunks, only their feet.


They resemble, but are not closely related to, the Holarctic treecreepers. There is some molecular support for suggesting that their closest relatives are the large lyrebirds.




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