Scientific name:
Certhiidae

Natural spread:
Europe, Asia, America

the tree-runners, a family of the Singvögel, lives in the forests of Europe, Asia and North America in 5 types. they are on very well tried in its physique at the around-mountaineering on tree-trunks. The shafts of the tail-feathers become (because the bird necessarily needs the tail for the mountaineering) molt sufficiently stiffly the tail in order to support themselves at the bark with them all at once, but the middle feathers stop, while that is renewed others. This is very uncommon for sparrow-birds, the tree-runners resemble the woodpeckers in it.

With its strongly bent and long claws, they anchor themselves without big effort also at quite smooth trunks, at which they upwards-jump spirally. Rarely, tree-runners climb again in front also with the tail trunk-downward in order to scan exactly an especially productive bark-area again after insects and their larvae with its long, downward bent beak. It doesn't cause them any difficulties either, itself hanging at horizontal branches entlangzuhangeln. With its brown, speckled upper side, they are not to be almost distinguished from the bark-underground; one notices it at its high and thin reputations or the chirping chant sooner, that often finish with a trill.

Types Lives the 12-13 cm big forest-tree-runners (Certhia familiaris) mainly in needle-forests, more rarely in the beech-continuances of mountainous regions of north and Central America (to the south of until Nicaragua), Europe (with exception of Spain and sharing of France) and Asia also. Sometimes, it nests also in parks, not rarely it follows the human being as far as into the gardens. Actually, it prefers however closed forests.

The forest-tree-runner (Certhia brachydactyla) advances further than the garden-tree-runner into the mountains, whose home existed with old foliage-trees, open forests, parks and gardens are. it is to be distinguished despite its longer beak only heavily from the forest-tree-runner. The most easily the chant betrays which type one has before oneself. There is primarily at the garden-tree-runner on that occasion animals with the chant-repertoire of both types. Three further types live in the mountain-forests of the Himalayaregion.

Way of life Tree-runners live individually or in pairs, only garden-tree-runners more frequently sleep in smaller groups, together-pressed narrowly, in a tree-column.

Reproduction The brood-period begins already in April. Both alto-birds build the nest from loosely in one another-pushed Reisern, moss u. ä. in bark-splits, burst trees and similar tree-hiding places. The female erbrütet the 5-7 eggs in approximately 15 days alone. The nestlings are looked after by both parents. After 16 days, the boys leave the nest and admittedly still can then fly badly, however, already good climbers are.