CREEPER

any of various small birds that hug tree trunks or rock surfaces as they move about while feeding. The following are songbirds (suborder Passeres; order Passeriformes): The 13-centimetre (5-inch) spotted creeper (Salpornis spilonotus) of Africa and India is usually placed in the family Certhiidae, but its relationships are obscure. The Philippine creepers of the genus Rhabdornis have brush-tipped tongues and often visit flowers. They are usually placed in their own family, Rhabdornithidae, but some authorities place them in the Sittidae and others in the Climacteridae. The brown creeper (Finschia novaeseelandiae) of New Zealand belongs to the subfamily Malurinae of the Old World warblers (family Sylviidae). It is about 13 cm long, with a rather long tail and a tiny bill. Flocks or pairs call constantly in forests of South Island. For the North American brown creeper (Certhia familiaris), see treecreeper.