Tree Bark Crevices and Birds

Some tree species have bark with deep crevices which create hiding places for insects.

White-breasted Nuthatches, year-round residents in Missouri, search for insects by going head-first down tree trunks.

Brown Creepers avoid competition for the same insects as White-breasted Nuthatches by going up tree trunks. By using different directions, the 2 species are more likely to find insects in different hiding places. Brown Creepers are in Missouri from late September through April.

photo credit: landscape: Donna Brunet. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

photo credit: nuthatch and brown creeper: Steve Ryan, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons