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Sunday, 8 December 2019

What are goldfinches doing on tree branches?

At this time of year I often see Goldfinches appearing to feed high on tree branches, often sycamores. It is hard to see what exactly they are doing, but definitely there are no seeds involved, it looks like they are pecking the bark or possibly lichens. I checked and they were not holding seeds under their feet (as they often do) or wiping their bills clean. They appear to peck the surface of the branch. I managed to photograph one that appears to lift and hold a bit of bark with lichen on top (top shot).

I am very curious to know what they are doing. During the breeding season Goldfinches use lichen to camouflage their nests, I only see this behaviour during winter. Has anyone seen this? Please comment! Some more photos of the behaviour follow.
3/12/2017.
25/01/2018
25/01/2018. This individual stayed pecking the end of this branch for quite a while.
16/11/2016

UPDATE 11/1/20
I found out a chorusing Goldfinch flock in a local park today. Several of them were feeding on branches in two lime trees. I managed a couple of videos showing how they target areas at the end of broken branches and deftly peel bark and wood, discarding bits. If they are feeding on the bark or wood itself or on some invertebrates living in it is unclear.
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2 comments:

  1. Ralph Hancock8 December 2019 at 08:49

    Yes, I've seen this too, and here is a picture taken on 7 December 2016. In this case the tree is a rowan and there was a single withered fruit at the back of the twig, but the Goldfinch wasn't eating that. I assumed that the decaying fruit had attracted an insect. Could the Goldfinches in your pictures be looking for insects attracted to leaf buds, or perhaps larvae from eggs laid there, and also insects or larvae under flakes of bark?

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  2. Africa Gomez11 January 2020 at 07:14

    Hi Ralph, thank you for your reply, I have wondered that too, that they are feeding on some larvae under the bark, I also thought they may be getting some nutrients from the bark that may be scarce in their winter diet. I have updated the post with a video of the behaviour I managed to record today.

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