We spent 8 days in the Galápagos Islands traveling to 10 islands, looking for the special birds on each.
We really had to work to find and identify the various Darwin Finches, including this Woodpecker Finch. The Woodpecker Finch is one of the few non-human animals in the world known to use tools, breaking off twigs or cactus spines to probe into tree bark and pry out hidden insect grubs and larvae. We watched them foraging in moss and bark, but did not observe any tool use.
There are three species of Woodpecker Finches, each located on a different Galapagos island. The Woodpecker Finches found on Santa Cruz are the species Camarhynchus pallidus striatipecta.
Our group watched the Small Tree-finch stay alongside the Woodpecker Finch for about 15 minutes, and called them buddies. My guess is that the Small Tree-finch was following the Woodpecker Finch closely, hoping for an opportunity for something to eat that escaped the Woodpecker Finch.
- Created Timestamp06/21/2026 10:54:30
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- CreditPB Demkovich
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