Climacteridae

Climacteridae, the Australasian treecreepers, is a family of seven living species of passerine birds in two genera, Cormobates and Climacteris. They are found only in Australia and New Guinea, with one species restricted to New Guinea and the rest confined to mainland Australia; none occur in Tasmania. These are medium-small, mostly brown birds with patterned underparts, 14 to 19 centimeters long and weighing 17 to 44 grams. Despite their name and their habit of climbing tree trunks in search of insects living on and under bark, mostly on eucalypts, they only superficially resemble the unrelated Holarctic treecreepers and, unlike them, climb using only their feet rather than bracing with their tails. Some species are cooperative breeders, with helper birds assisting a breeding pair, while others breed in simple pairs.