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Eurasian Treecreeper Vocal Activity Declined Even at Low-impact Clearcut Sites

Eurasian treecreeper climbing a moss-covered tree trunk
Conservation · Threats

A before-and-after study in southwest Finland found that Eurasian treecreeper (Certhia familiaris) vocal activity declined after clearcutting even at sites where less than one-third of the surrounding forest had been removed. The study was available online from 2 April 2026.

Researchers used passive acoustic monitoring at 60 forest sites, recording the same locations before clearcutting in 2020 and again in 2024. Thirty sites remained uncut as controls and 30 were affected by clearcutting. The study followed 12 resident bird species and compared sites with lower and higher proportions of forest removed within 100 metres of the recorders.

Total vocal activity fell at heavily affected sites

Across all 12 species, total vocal activity declined clearly at heavily affected sites, while the number of species detected showed no clear change. The acoustic measure reflects how intensively birds used or vocalised at the sites; it is not a direct estimate of population size.

Species responses differed strongly

The species-level responses differed markedly. Eurasian treecreeper declined at both lower- and higher-impact sites. Crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) and goldcrest (Regulus regulus) showed negative responses only where a larger share of the nearby forest had been removed, while black woodpecker (Dryocopus martius) showed increased vocal activity at heavily affected sites. The result therefore points to different habitat responses among resident forest specialists rather than a uniform reaction to clearcutting.

The authors highlight tree retention, selective harvesting and species-specific conservation measures as ways to reduce the effects of intensive forestry on resident birds. For Eurasian treecreeper, lower vocal activity at the less heavily affected sites shows that a response was detectable even when a smaller share of the nearby forest had been removed.

Sources and image credit

  1. Reduced vocal activity of resident birds following clearcutting reflects a decline in a few species at highly impacted sites in boreal forestsPrimary peer-reviewed Forest Ecology and Management article. The publisher PDF states Available online 2 April 2026; the volume/issue date is 15 July 2026. A BACI design with passive acoustic monitoring compared 60 sites in southwest Finland and found Eurasian treecreeper vocal activity declined at both lower- and higher-impact clearcut sites; crested tit and goldcrest declined at highly affected sites, while black woodpecker activity increased there.
  2. Forest resident birds avoid intensive clearcutsUniversity of Turku research release from 2 June 2026, used for the authors’ interpretation and forest-management context.

Image: Eurasian treecreeper climbing a moss-covered tree trunk. Photo: Caroline Legg / Wikimedia Commons. Representative image for this story; not presented as an animal or scene from the reported study or event. · CC BY 2.0 · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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SPECIES IN THIS STORY

Species in this story

Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris Explore species Crested Tit Lophophanes cristatus Explore species Goldcrest Regulus regulus Explore species Black Woodpecker Dryocopus martius Explore species

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