Like many other treecreepers, this bird has an excellent camouflage pattern. If it sits still, it is difficult to detect - but it reveals itself through its jerky search for insects along the tree trunks. The Bar-tailed treecreeper is about the same size as the Eurasian tree creeper (Certhia familiaris), about 14 cm long, but slightly darker. What gave it its English name is the cross-banded tail which is characteristic. It breeds in coniferous forests and feeds on insects, spiders and other small invertebrates, occasionally supplemented with seeds.