Woodpecker finch

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Woodpecker finch
Camarhynchus pallidus composite.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Camarhynchus
Species:
C. pallidus
Binomial name
Camarhynchus pallidus
Geospiza pallida map.svg
Synonyms
  • Geospiza pallida
  • Cactospiza pallida

The woodpecker finch (Camarhynchus pallidus) is a monomorphic species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family, Thraupidae endemic to the Galapagos Islands. [2] The diet of a woodpecker finch revolves mostly around invertebrates, but also encompasses a variety of seeds. [3] [4] Woodpecker finches, like many other species of birds, form breeding pairs and care for young until they have fledged. [5] The most distinctive characteristic of woodpecker finches is their ability to use tools for foraging. [3] This behaviour indicates that they have highly specialized cognitive abilities. [6] Woodpecker finches have also shown the ability to learn new behaviours regarding tool use via social learning. [3] Not all populations of woodpecker finches use tools equally often, as this is influenced by the environment in which they live. [7]

Contents

Description

Illustration of a woodpecker finch CactornisPallidaPZSL1870.jpg
Illustration of a woodpecker finch

Woodpecker finches range in weight from 23g to 29g and are about 15 cm long. [2] [5] Although their tongues are quite short, they have a relatively long bill compared to other species of Darwin's finches. [2]

Distribution

Woodpecker finches are native to the Galapagos Islands. They are commonly found on the islands of Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, Fernandina, Santiago, and Penzón. They occupy all areas of the islands, from the most arid zones to more humid zones. However, the density of woodpecker finches is greater in the more humid zones than in the drier ones. [5] Woodpecker finches are also found at a variety of altitudes, from sea level to higher inland elevations. [2] They are a not a migratory species and when they do fly, they only fly short distances. [2]

Diet

Woodpecker finch diets mainly consist of arthropods found under dead logs and rocks. [3] They only eat larvae, which are often located inside dead logs. [5] Their habit of pecking at fallen logs is similar to a woodpecker's drumming on a tree trunk. [8] Wood-boring beetle larvae are a staple of their diet. [2] They also often feed on moths, caterpillars and crickets. [5] Another significant part of their diet includes meat from the small animals it kills, making woodpecker finches important hunters. [4]

Foraging behaviour

One of the most distinguishable traits of Camarhynchus pallidus is its ability to use a twig, stick, or cactus spine as a tool. This behaviour earned it the nicknames tool-using finch, and carpenter finch. The finch manipulates the tool to dislodge invertebrate prey, such as grubs, from crevices in trees. [3] It has been hypothesized that due to the absence of woodpeckers, woodpecker finches filled a similar niche on the Galapagos Islands. [8] Woodpeckers have strong bills for drilling and drumming on trees, as well as long sticky tongues for extracting food. [9] On the isolated Galapagos islands, without competition from South American woodpecker species, the woodpecker finch was able to adapt, and evolve its tool-utilizing capability to compensate for its short tongue. [8] The ability to use tools is a highly specialized cognitive ability as it involves the animal creating and recognizing a relationship between two foreign objects found in its environment. [6]

Woodpecker finch on branch Cactospiza pallidus 0zz.jpg
Woodpecker finch on branch

Woodpecker finches are capable of using a variety of materials to construct the tools they use. [3] They are capable of modifying the tools they find in order to maximize their efficiency. Scientists have observed finches shortening the length of sticks or cactus spines in order to make them more manageable for tool use. [3] The same tool can be used multiple times and on different trees. [5] Woodpecker finches may also try various sticks or spines at one site before finding one that can reach and extract the prey item. [3] There is conflicting evidence of whether or not this behaviour was acquired through social learning, as juveniles have been observed using tools without previous contact with adults. [10] In contrast, juvenile woodpecker finches have also been observed utilizing novel tools made from non-native plant species, such as blackberry bushes. [3] After observing adult woodpecker finches prep barbed twigs and use them to obtain prey from crevices in trees, juvenile finches displayed the same behaviour with the novel tool. [3] These observations contrasted previous studies to show that social learning may occur in wild woodpecker finch populations. [3]

The frequency of tool use by woodpecker finches depends largely on whether they live in a more wet or dry environment. [11] Woodpecker finches that live in more wet environments seldom use tools as prey is much more abundant. [7] In contrast, they employ tool use much more when living in dry areas. [7] During the dry season, woodpecker finches use tools while foraging to acquire up to 50% of their prey. [7] The use of tools has allowed woodpecker finches to be able to obtain prey that they would otherwise be unable to reach with their short tongues. [7] It is thought that this behaviour came to evolve due to the harshness of the dry and unstable environmental conditions of the Galapagos Islands. [5]

Reproduction

There are no morphological differences between either sex in woodpecker finches, as they are monomorphic. [5] Woodpecker finches mainly use moss, lichens, and grass as building materials for their nests. [5] During the 2 week incubation period when females are sitting on the eggs, males linger nearby, often feeding the females. [5] Female woodpecker finches typically lay around 2-3 eggs. [5] Both males and females participate in the feeding of the chicks from the day they hatch until well after they have become independent. [5] Woodpecker finch chicks will fledge around 2 weeks after hatching. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adaptive radiation</span> A process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species

In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is a process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic interactions or opens new environmental niches. Starting with a single ancestor, this process results in the speciation and phenotypic adaptation of an array of species exhibiting different morphological and physiological traits. The prototypical example of adaptive radiation is finch speciation on the Galapagos, but examples are known from around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Caledonian crow</span> Species of bird

The New Caledonian crow is a medium-sized member of the family Corvidae, native to New Caledonia. The bird is often referred to as the 'qua-qua' due to its distinctive call. It eats a wide range of food, including many types of invertebrates, eggs, nestlings, small mammals, snails, nuts and seeds. The New Caledonian crow sometimes captures grubs in nooks or crevices by poking a twig at the grub to agitate it into biting the twig, which the crow then withdraws with the grub still attached. This method of feeding indicates the New Caledonian crow is capable of tool use. They are also able to make hooks. This species is also capable of solving a number of sophisticated cognitive tests which suggest that it is particularly intelligent. As a result of these findings, the New Caledonian crow has become a model species for scientists trying to understand the impact of tool use and manufacture on the evolution of intelligence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darwin's finches</span> Group of related bird species in the Galápagos Islands

Darwin's finches are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or tribe Geospizini. They belong to the tanager family and are not closely related to the true finches. The closest known relative of the Galápagos finches is the South American dull-coloured grassquit. They were first collected when the second voyage of the Beagle visited the Galápagos Islands, with Charles Darwin on board as a gentleman naturalist. Apart from the Cocos finch, which is from Cocos Island, the others are found only on the Galápagos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galapagos hawk</span> Species of bird

The Galápagos hawk is a large hawk endemic to most of the Galápagos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Character displacement</span>

Character displacement is the phenomenon where differences among similar species whose distributions overlap geographically are accentuated in regions where the species co-occur, but are minimized or lost where the species' distributions do not overlap. This pattern results from evolutionary change driven by biological competition among species for a limited resource. The rationale for character displacement stems from the competitive exclusion principle, also called Gause's Law, which contends that to coexist in a stable environment two competing species must differ in their respective ecological niche; without differentiation, one species will eliminate or exclude the other through competition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vampire ground finch</span> Species of bird

The vampire ground finch is a small bird native to the Galápagos Islands. It was considered a very distinct subspecies of the sharp-beaked ground finch endemic to Wolf and Darwin Islands. The International Ornithologists' Union has split the species supported by strong genetic evidence that they are not closely related, and divergences in morphology and song. Other taxonomic authorities still consider it conspecific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mangrove finch</span> Species of bird

The mangrove finch is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It was found on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela, but recent surveys have failed to record the species on Fernandina. It has been classified as critically endangered by BirdLife International, with an estimated population of 20–40 mature individuals in 2021, located in two large mangroves on Isabela. A study has shown that the two small populations remaining on Isabela Island have begun undergoing speciation and that one or both populations will eventually become extinct due to a lack of interbreeding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Small tree finch</span> Species of bird

The small tree finch is a bird species belonging to the Darwin's finch group within the tanager family Thraupidae. It has a grasping beak with curved culmens. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. During the non-breeding season it is known to form large groups with small ground-finches.

<i>Camarhynchus</i> Genus of birds

Camarhynchus is a genus of birds in the tanager family Thraupidae. All species of Camarhynchus are endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and together with related genera, they are collectively known as Darwin's finches. Formerly classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent molecular genetic studies have shown it to belong in the tanager family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium tree finch</span> Species of bird

The medium tree finch is a critically endangered species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands where it is only found on Floreana Island. Its name is derived from the fact that the bird's beak is intermediate in size between that of the small tree finch and the large tree finch. Because it has a very small range on a single island, and because of the introduction of a parasitic fly which kills the nestlings, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated the medium tree finch as "critically endangered".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large tree finch</span> Species of bird

The large tree finch is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medium ground finch</span> Species of bird

The medium ground finch is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Its primary natural habitat is tropical shrubland. One of Darwin's finches, the species was the first which scientists have observed evolving in real-time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common cactus finch</span> Species of bird

The common cactus finch or small cactus finch is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, where it is found on most islands, with the notable exception of Fernandina, Española, Genovesa, Darwin and Wolf. Most of these islands are inhabited by its close relative, the Española cactus finch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetarian finch</span> Species of bird

The vegetarian finch is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It is the only member of the genus Platyspiza.

<i>Conolophus pallidus</i> Species of lizard

Conolophus pallidus is a species of lizard in the family Iguanidae. It is one of three species in the genus Conolophus and is endemic to Santa Fe Island in the Galapagos.

<i>Philornis downsi</i> Species of fly

Philornis downsi, also known as the avian vampire fly, is a species of fly that was first recorded in Trinidad and Brazil in the 1990s. It has been accidentally introduced to the Galapagos Islands (Ecuador). Adults of P. downsi feed on fruit. Eggs are laid in bird nests and hatch into parasitic larvae that reside in the nest material and emerge at night to feed both internally and externally on the blood and flesh of developing nestlings. The parasite causes significant mortality in Darwin's finch nestlings and threatens the survival of some rarer species such as the mangrove finch and the medium tree finch. To protect the threatened finch populations, insecticide-laced cotton has been supplied as nesting material for the finches, with the results being highly successful in combating P. downsi infestations at a localized scale. Currently, Biological pest control agents, including Conuraannulifera, are being investigated for their potential safety and efficacy in eradicating P. downsi on the Galapagos Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Española cactus finch</span> Species of bird

The Española cactus finch, is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is one of Darwin's finches, and is endemic to the Galápagos islands, where it is restricted to Española, Genovesa, and the Darwin and Wolf Islands. This rather dark bird resembles the smaller and finer-beaked common cactus finch, but the two species do not co-inhabit any island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daphne Major finches</span>

The Daphne Major finches are a group of Darwin's finches that inhabit Daphne Major island of the Galápagos. The common cactus finch and the medium ground finch are the main species; while the large ground finch and the Española cactus finch are regular immigrants. Most extensively studied by Peter and Rosemary Grant of Princeton University since 1973, the birds are one of the sources of the understanding of bird behaviour, adaptation, and evolution.

Asilo de la Paz is a location on Floreana Island in the Galapagos archipelago. It is the site of Floreana's first human settlement, and is now among the island's most popular tourist attractions. The site has a maximum elevation of 450 meters above sea level.

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2021). "Geospiza pallida". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T22723783A167283265. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22723783A167283265.en . Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Woodpecker Finch (Geospiza pallida)". www.hbw.com. Retrieved 2019-10-27.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Sabine, Tebbich; Irmgard, Teschke; Erica, Cartmill; Sophia, Stankewitz (2012-02-01). "Use of a barbed tool by an adult and a juvenile woodpecker finch (Cactospiza pallida)". Behavioural Processes. Comparative cognition: Function and mechanism in lab and field. 89 (2): 166–171. doi:10.1016/j.beproc.2011.10.016. ISSN   0376-6357. PMID   22085790. S2CID   20819852.
  4. 1 2 Guerrero, Ana (December 2009). "Darwin's Finches as Seed Predators and Dispersers". The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. 121 (4): 752–764. doi:10.1676/09-035.1. S2CID   85647439. ProQuest   198631933.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Good, Harriet (September 2009). "Husbandry Guidelines for the Woodpecker Finch (Camarhynchus pallidus) at Charles Darwin Foundation" (PDF). Darwin Initiative.
  6. 1 2 Tebbich, S.; Bshary, R. (2004-04-01). "Cognitive abilities related to tool use in the woodpecker finch, Cactospiza pallida" (PDF). Animal Behaviour. 67 (4): 689–697. doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2003.08.003. ISSN   0003-3472. S2CID   27583776.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Tebbich, Sabine; Taborsky, Michael; Fessl, Birgit; Dvorak, Michael (2002). "The ecology of tool-use in the woodpecker finch (Cactospiza pallida)". Ecology Letters. 5 (5): 656–664. doi:10.1046/j.1461-0248.2002.00370.x. ISSN   1461-0248.
  8. 1 2 3 Van Driesche, Jason. (2013). Nature Out of Place Biological Invasions In The Global Age . Island Press. ISBN   9781610910958. OCLC   957466880.
  9. ↑ Zhou, P.; Kong, X. Q.; Wu, C. W.; Chen, Z. (September 2009). "The novel mechanical property of tongue of a woodpecker". Journal of Bionic Engineering. 6 (3): 214–218. doi:10.1016/s1672-6529(08)60126-2. ISSN   1672-6529. S2CID   136687299.
  10. ↑ Tebbich, S; Taborsky, M; Fessl, B; Blomqvist, D (2001). "Do woodpecker finches acquire tool-use by social learning?". Proc Biol Sci. 268 (1482): 2189–93. doi:10.1098/rspb.2001.1738. PMC   1088865 . PMID   11674865.
  11. ↑ Tebbich, Sabine; Teschke, Irmgard (2014-03-17). "Coping with Uncertainty: Woodpecker Finches (Cactospiza pallida) from an Unpredictable Habitat Are More Flexible than Birds from a Stable Habitat". PLOS ONE. 9 (3): e91718. Bibcode:2014PLoSO...991718T. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091718 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   3956741 . PMID   24638107.

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