Pennsylvania · Year-round resident

Brown Creepers in Pennsylvania

When brown creepers are present in Pennsylvania, when they nest, which native Pennsylvania plants feed them, and how to host them in a USDA 5a–7b yard.

Treecreepers (Certhiidae)Brown CreeperCerthia americana

Status in Pennsylvania: Year-round resident
Nesting window: May–June
Broods: 1 per season
Hardiness zones: USDA 5a–7b

When to expect brown creepers in Pennsylvania

Brown Creepers live in Pennsylvania all year. Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward overwintering insects; some suet.

Humid continental; cold, snowy winters in the north and mountains, milder in the southeast.

Nesting in Pennsylvania

Across Pennsylvania, brown creepers typically nest from May–June. Nest site: hammock nest behind loose bark on dead trees. Females lay 5–6 eggs, incubate for 13–17 days, and young leave the nest after 13–16 days.

Warm summers; bluebirds typically raise two broods.

Brown Creepers don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as black cherry, white oak, flowering dogwood for nest sites.
Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Native Pennsylvania plants that attract brown creepers

Of the regional native plants we track for Pennsylvania, these 8 provide food or cover brown creepers use:

Black cherry

Prunus serotina · Tree

Summer fruit and a major caterpillar host.

White oak

Quercus alba · Tree

Acorns and insects.

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae · Perennial

Fall seed.

Flowering dogwood

Cornus florida · Tree

Fat-rich red fall fruit taken by thrushes, bluebirds and woodpeckers.

Serviceberry

Amelanchier arborea · Tree

Early-summer berries arrive exactly when nestlings are being fed.

Bur oak

Quercus macrocarpa · Tree

Drought-hardy prairie oak with large acorns and a heavy insect load.

American elderberry

Sambucus canadensis · Shrub

Late-summer berry clusters taken by over 40 bird species.

Arrowwood viburnum

Viburnum dentatum · Shrub

Blue-black fall fruit and dense nesting cover.

Feeding brown creepers through the Pennsylvania year

Creepers rarely use feeders but will take suet smeared on rough bark.

Best foods: Suet, Peanut butter mix spread on bark.
In Pennsylvania's winter: Snow cover makes suet and heated water valuable; both chickadee species meet in a narrow hybrid zone across the south of the state.

Full diet breakdown for brown creepers · Best feeder for brown creepers

Frequently asked

Are brown creepers in Pennsylvania year-round?

Yes. Brown Creepers are year-round residents in Pennsylvania.

When do brown creepers nest in Pennsylvania?

Nesting in Pennsylvania typically runs May–June, with 1 per season. Clutches are 5–6 eggs, incubated for 13–17 days.

What native plants attract brown creepers in Pennsylvania?

Black cherry, White oak, New England aster, Flowering dogwood, Serviceberry, Bur oak, American elderberry, Arrowwood viburnum are native plants in Pennsylvania that provide food or cover for brown creepers.

Other backyard birds in Pennsylvania

Northern Cardinal Eastern Bluebird Black-capped Chickadee Carolina Chickadee Purple Martin Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker American Goldfinch Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch House Wren Blue Jay House Finch Purple Finch Ruby-throated Hummingbird Carolina Wren Mourning Dove American Robin Dark-eyed Junco White-throated Sparrow Song Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Red-bellied Woodpecker Northern Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpecker Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Common Grackle Red-winged Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Orchard Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak Evening Grosbeak Pine Siskin Common Redpoll Indigo Bunting Eastern Towhee Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher Cedar Waxwing Tree Swallow Barn Swallow Eastern Phoebe Chimney Swift Yellow-rumped Warbler Pine Warbler Eastern Screech-Owl Wood Thrush Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Kingbird American Tree Sparrow House Sparrow European Starling Fox Sparrow

Sources

Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.