Treecreepers (Certhiidae)
Spotted Creeper (Salpornis spilonotus) - HBW 13, p. 186
French: Grimpereau tacheté
German: Stammsteiger
Spanish: Agateador Moteado
Other common names: Spotted Treecreeper, Spotted Grey Creeper
Taxonomy: Certhia spilonota Franklin, 1831, between Calcutta and Benares, India.
Has been placed in Sittidae or treated as a monospecific family, Salpornithidae, mainly due to lack of stiffened tail feathers. Data derived from DNA-DNA hybridization indicate present genus is closest relative of Certhia. Recent research using biometrics, song structure and cytochrome b sequences supports treatment as a separate family with closest but still loose relationship to Tichodromidae; also calls for specific separation of African birds as S. salvadori. In contrast, other studies suggest distinct vocal differences exist between, on the one hand, Indian and W Afri.. View all taxonomy...
Taxonomy: Certhia spilonota Franklin, 1831, between Calcutta and Benares, India.
Has been placed in Sittidae or treated as a monospecific family, Salpornithidae, mainly due to lack of stiffened tail feathers. Data derived from DNA-DNA hybridization indicate present genus is closest relative of Certhia. Recent research using biometrics, song structure and cytochrome b sequences supports treatment as a separate family with closest but still loose relationship to Tichodromidae; also calls for specific separation of African birds as S. salvadori. In contrast, other studies suggest distinct vocal differences exist between, on the one hand, Indian and W African birds and, on the other, S African populations, and these two groups might represent two separate species; further study required, e.g. of Ethiopian birds. Six subspecies currently recognized.
Has been placed in Sittidae or treated as a monospecific family, Salpornithidae, mainly due to lack of stiffened tail feathers. Data derived from DNA-DNA hybridization indicate present genus is closest relative of Certhia. Recent research using biometrics, song structure and cytochrome b sequences supports treatment as a separate family with closest but still loose relationship to Tichodromidae; also calls for specific separation of African birds as S. salvadori. In contrast, other studies suggest distinct vocal differences exist between, on the one hand, Indian and W African birds and, on the other, S African populations, and these two groups might represent two separate species; further study required, e.g. of Ethiopian birds. Six subspecies currently recognized.
Subspecies and Distribution:
- emini Hartlaub, 1884 - Gambia S to W Guinea, NW Sierra Leone and N Ivory Coast E discontinuously to N Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, N Cameroon, S Chad (S from Azoum/Chari confluence) and N Central African Republic; also S Sudan, adjacent NE DRCongo (NE Uele) and extreme NW Uganda.
- erlangeri Neumann, 1907 - W & SE Ethiopian Highlands.
- salvadori (Bocage, 1878) - extreme E Uganda and adjacent highlands of W Kenya; also C Angola, S & SE DRCongo, most of Zambia, NE, W & S Tanzania (S from near SE of L Victoria in W and from Songea and Liwale in SE), Malawi and N Mozambique (S to R Zambezi).
- emini Hartlaub, 1884 - Gambia S to W Guinea, NW Sierra Leone and N Ivory Coast E discontinuously to N Ghana, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, N Cameroon, S Chad (S from Azoum/Chari confluence) and N Central African Republic; also S Sudan, adjacent NE DRCongo (NE Uele) and extreme NW Uganda.
- erlangeri Neumann, 1907 - W & SE Ethiopian Highlands.
- salvadori (Bocage, 1878) - extreme E Uganda and adjacent highlands of W Kenya; also C Angola, S & SE DRCongo, most of Zambia, NE, W & S Tanzania (S from near SE of L Victoria in W and from Songea and Liwale in SE), Malawi and N Mozambique (S to R Zambezi).
- xylodromus Clancey, 1975 - N & C Zimbabwe (Zambezi Escarpment and Mashonaland Plateau) and adjacent Mozambique (Manica platform S to R Save).
- rajputanae R. Meinertzhagen, 1926 - C & SE Rajasthan (E from Sambhar, Ajmer, Aravalli Hills and Mt Abu), in WC India.
- spilonotus (Franklin, 1831) - C India from E Gujarat (E from Rajpipla and Disa) and S Haryana (Gurgaon) E to N Uttar Pradesh (Gonda, near Nepalese border) and N Bihar, S to E Maharashtra, N Andhra Pradesh and SE Madhya Pradesh (Bastar District).
- Least Concern Enlarge map
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Hunting on a tree stem Locality Jaipur District, Rajasthan, India (ssp rajputanae)
RAM GOPAL SONI 6 March 2006 1 year ago 32 sec 3.7 -
Bird on Neem tree Locality Jaipur District, Rajasthan, India (ssp rajpuatnae)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 March 2006 1 year ago 12 sec 3.7 -
A bird moving around on a trunk Locality Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp erlangeri)
Keith Blomerley 11 April 2002 3 years ago 25 sec 3.5 -
A bird preening briefly on a trunk and looking around Locality Hawassa, Awassa Lake, SNNPR Region, Ethiopia (ssp erlangeri)
Ron Hoff 1 December 2007 3 years ago 51 sec 3.5 -
A bird creeping in a tree Locality Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (ssp erlangeri)
Josep del Hoyo 23 November 2005 6 years ago 1 min 48 sec 3.3 -
A bird creeping on a trunk Locality Wondo Genet, Oromia Region, Ethiopia (ssp erlangeri)
Josep del Hoyo 1 December 2005 5 years ago 16 sec 2.7
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Spotted Creeper was first seen by Surat Sing Poonia, Range Officer, Tal Chhapar in 2011
Locality Tal Chhapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Churu District, Rajasthan, India
Koshy Koshy 11 October 2011 15 weeks ago 3 -
Feeding
Locality Ranthambore National Park, Rajasthan, India
Søren Harding 13 February 2006 1 year ago 3 -
A bird working its way up a tree trunk
Locality Mole National Park, Northern Region, Ghana (ssp emini)
Ian Fulton 19 March 2009 2 years ago 3
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Called while hunting Locality Jaipur District, Rajasthan, India
(ssp rajputanae)
RAM GOPAL SONI 6 March 2006 1 year ago 3 -
Calling during breeding period Locality Jaipur District, Rajasthan, India
(ssp rajputanae)
RAM GOPAL SONI 1 August 1996 1 year ago 3
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