of long-tailed cuckoos in the South Island and Stewart Island. Juveniles Once the young birds become independent they will form groups with the rest of the young from that year through autumn and winter. These flocks can contain up to 60 birds and are often mixed in with other forest bird species such as fantails, grey warblers, silvereyes and bellbirds. The juveniles can breed after one year. Juvenile males will learn their song from neighboring males and not their parents. During the first week out of the nest, juveniles will huddle together during the daylight hours so that their tail feathers can grow and their wings can become stronger. Moulting Brown creepers will moult in late summer. It is the only time of year in which brown creeper are not vocal all day. Survival rates and life expectancy 63% of all eggs produced hatch and 36% of these become fledglings. Predation can account for 62% of egg loss and 66% of nestling loss. Brown creepers have an overall success rate of 1.6 fledglings/adult/year. In Kaikoura, adult survival rates were at 82% and brown creeper life expectancy was 5 years. Diet and foraging Food Brown creepers mainly eat invertebrates but are known to include fruits in their diet. Their main prey are beetles, moths, spiders, flies and caterpillars. They will also feed on the ripe fruits of natives such as Coprosma. Feeding on fruits is especially common in the autumn. Foraging Behaviour Brown creepers are more likely to glean invertebrates from small branches and leaves in the canopy, though they do sometimes hang upside down from branches in order to forage for invertebrates. Though gleaning is the most common form of foraging for invertebrates, brown creepers will also feed on invertebrates under loose bark or on large branches. They will only rarely forage and feed on the ground preferring to forage more than 2 m off the ground. Birds will sometimes forage in their breeding pairs but more commonly tend to forage in flocks of 3-12 birds. These flocks usually include loose family groups, juveniles and occasionally other pairs when outside of the breeding season. Pairs will forage together in their territory during the breeding season. It is also thought that sexual dimporhism in brown creeper, particularly beak size, reduces competition between individuals as a wider range of food is available to males which generally have larger beaks. Predators, Parasites, and