Birda Logo
Features
Birda+
About
Species Guide
Challenges
Shop
loading...

African Spotted Creeper

Salpornis salvadori

The African spotted creeper, known scientifically as Salpornis salvadori, is a small passerine bird that belongs to the subfamily Salpornithinae within the treecreeper family Certhiidae. It is distinguished by its strongly spotted and barred plumage, which sets it apart from the treecreepers of the subfamily Certhiinae. This bird has a modest stature, with a length of up to 15 cm (5.9 in) and a weight reaching 16 grams (0.56 oz).

Identification Tips

When observing the African spotted creeper, one should note its thin, pointed, and down-curved bill, which is adept at extracting insects from bark. Unlike its Certhiinae relatives, it does not possess the stiff tail feathers used for support on vertical trees.

Habitat

This species is typically found in open deciduous forests and mango groves across sub-Saharan Africa.

Distribution

The African spotted creeper is a resident bird that does not migrate, except for local movements. It is distributed across various regions in sub-Saharan Africa, with four recognized subspecies occupying distinct geographical areas.

Behaviour

The African spotted creeper is known for its unique nesting habits and its method of foraging for insects on tree bark, using its specialized bill.

Breeding

Breeding characteristics of the African spotted creeper include a nest that is a cup shape, placed on a horizontal branch, often in a crotch, and cleverly camouflaged with spiders' egg sacs, caterpillar frass, and lichen. The typical clutch consists of three eggs, which are blue or greenish in color, adorned with markings of grey, lavender, and brown.

Diet and Feeding

The African spotted creeper's diet consists primarily of insects, which it skillfully extracts from tree bark using its specialized bill.

Conservation status

The IUCN Red List classifies the African spotted creeper as Least Concern, indicating that it currently faces no significant threat of extinction.

African Spotted Creeper Sounds


Recorded by: © 
App logo
Birda is a birdwatching app and community aimed at curious people who want to deepen their connection with nature.

African Spotted Creepers on Birda

Photos

More Treecreepers

A photo of a Brown Creeper (Certhia americana)

Brown Creeper

Certhia americana
Birda Logo

Your birdwatching journey like never before

Connect with nature in minutes
Take a walk, look out of the window and log the birds that you see. Feel good about those little connections to nature.
Discover the joy of birding
Find new birding spots, see more birds, share and celebrate with a like-minded community of nature lovers.
Play your part in saving nature
Logging your birding sightings and sessions turns into positive action for our planet. Every sighting counts.

Birda Blog

What Our Birders Say
D3Nature
Great app for learning Birds
I’ve been using the app for a couple of months and love it....Someone said it’s like a real life Pokémon Go for birds. They’re not far off! It’s something that the family can do that gets you out and about. Well worth downloading no matter your age.
Ellesse_W
Learning Birding with Birda
I’m relatively new to birding as a hobby, and Birda is a great way to keep track off all the species I see. I’m still working on my ID skills, but the app is great for figuring out potential species, and the online community is so friendly and helpful. Definitely recommend Birda to both early and serious birders! 🐦
Stewart W
Fantastic to be involved
Fantastic to be involved, great for mental health and gets you responding with the Challenges that are to takd part in.
Emma L
App got me interested in birding!
Super friendly community <3 This app got me interested in birding! It teaches me cool stuff and its super friendly, and fun :) The species guide is really developing my knowledge, and i love seeing cool new birds from round the world!
Paul F
Very good database
Highly recommend. It great that this app shows you male Vs female variations when posting. Very good database I'm really impressed.
Hip An
Fantastic
Really enjoying Birda where I live i have a lot of Red kites really hard to photograph but I can video are you planning some place on the app where us Birda can post vids🦉🦅
BCHphotography_
Such a great app!
I didn’t think I could enjoy birding more but this app makes it so much better. Some great features and a really great way to share your sightings with your friends or fellow birders nearby or around the world! ❤️
Erna M
I really like Birda
I really like Birda. I also use other birding apps and have Birda with E-bird going at the same time.
EandB17
Terrific App for Birders
Downloaded Birda around the time my interest in birding was sparked, and it has been a terrific app to help me (1) share my experience, (2) document my sightings, and (3) learn more about birds in general. That said, I also believe Birda is a fantastic app for birders of all experience levels. Great community!
Louise L
Easy to use and accurate
Love this app. It is easy to use and accurate, Their backup communication is really good. I noted a missing species. All through the process, I was kept informed about the progress in correcting the information. I now have the corrected, updated version. 😁 Thanks!
As featured in
Birda Logo
AboutPressAmbassadorsAffiliatesInfluencersCareersPrivacyTerms & Conditions
An app for birdwatchers
Connect with us
Copyright © 2024 Chirp Birding. All rights reserved.