CERTHIA.
Small brown birds with stiff pointed tail feathers; search bark for insects and larvae; nest in recess in tree trunk or between bark and trunk; eggs white, spotted light red.
Certhia familiaris familiaris L. TREE CREEPER. Fr. Grimpereau ; Ger. Baumlaufer ; Ital. Rampichino ; Swed. Tradkrypare.
j 9 Above yellowish brown with white central streaks, rump and upper tail coverts rufous ; quills from 4th with a yellowish bar ; beneath pure white with slight rusty tinge on abdomen and flanks, under wing coverts white. Bill dark brown above, pale below. Legs and feet pale brown. Wing ,S 9 6o-62. Tail 6o-65. Tarsus 15-16. Bill a 13-14, 9 11-13. Hind claw 9 m.m. long.
Resident.—Norway to 69°, Sweden to Arctic Circle, Baltic Provinces, Russia to 65', east to Urals and into Asia, Denmark, Germany east of Oder, Poland, Rumania.
C. familiaris macrodactyla Brehm. Darker above (more brown, less white), rump darker rufous. Bill often longer.
Resident.—Germany west of Oder, Belgium, France (Alps and Vosges), Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Czecho-Slovakia, Italy (Alps and Apennines), Sicily.
C. familiaris britannica Ridgway. Rather redder than "macrodactyla" and darker, streaks on crown buff, central streaks of upper parts not so pure and reduced almost to shaft lines ; underparts not so pure white.
Resident.—British Isles.
C. famillaris corsa Hartert. Rather larger than "macro dactyla," bill longer and streaks on back more sharply marked.
Bill d 15-15.5 (H.). Resident.—Corsica.
C. familiaris caucasica Buturlin. Under side less pure white, bill and legs darker, and bill and tail longer than in "familiaris."
Bill 14-17. Tail 67-72 (H.).
Resident—Caucasus.
C. familiaris buturlini Banjkovski. Is said to differ from typical form by longer bill and more intense colour of upper tail coverts ; and from " caucasica " by its lighter colour (white and rufous) of upper parts and paler rufous upper tail coverts and base of tail. 'Wing d 64-66. Tail 68-69. Bill 18-19 (H.).
Resident.—Crimea.
Certhia brachydactyla brachydactyla Brehm.
Above darker, less rufous and rump darker than in "C. f. familiaris" or "C. f. britannica" ; abdomen and flanks reddish tinged ; under wing coverts usually marked with dusky at base of first primary ; under surface dirty white ; outer web of 4th primary with distinct rusty yellow spot. Bill d' 15.5-19-5, 13-5-16.5 (H.). Culmen darker almost black. Hind claw short, 7.5 m.m.
Resident.—Holland, Belgium, France, Switzerland, below woo feet, C. and S. Germany especially in W., Austria.
C. brachydactyla ultramontana Darker than typical, hardly any rufous except on lower back, rump and upper tail coverts ; less red on flanks.
Resident—S. Europe ; Portugal and Spain, S. France, Italy, S. Dalmatia, Greece.
The Portuguese form has been named "lusitanica" (on account of streaks on head being finer) but does not appear separable.
C. brachydactyla mauritanica Witherby. Close to " ultra montana " but a darker bird, more mixed with black ; darker rufous on the rump and pale streaks fewer and more buff.
Algeria, and Tunisia.