Both parents feed insects and spiders to the young, which fledge after two or three weeks, usually in June. The species lives in areas where evergreens are plentiful and often nests in pine plantations. Red-breasted nuthatches feed on insects and on seeds, particularly those of conifers. They nest in tree cavities five to 40 feet above the ground. Five or six young are produced in a single annual brood.
Brown creepers breed across a huge range extending from Alaska and Newfoundland south to Nicaragua.
They favor mature forests with many large trees. The species is found in much of Pennsylvania, although numbers are lower in the state's southeastern and southwestern corners. Braced by their long stiff tails, brown creepers climb slowly up tree trunks, following a spiral course. They inspect bark furrows and use their decurved bills to tease out insects, pupae and eggs. They also eat spiders and seeds.