The beak of the wood pecker finch is long and pointed. Thai allows the finch to probe deeply into cavities in search of food.
Sometimes , it holds twigs and cactus spines in its strong beak and with amazing dexterity, uses the twig or spine as a probe to stab or lever insects from crevices and tree holes. It particularly targets high energy content food such as spider egg sacs.
However use of such probes is very time consuming therefore it will engage this technique during times of food scarcity such as in the dry season. During the more favorable wet season, prey are generally in abundance and so the finch is more reliant on its specialized pointed beak to probe among moss and bark for prey.
