Lesser Gold Finch; (1 Viewer)

[DALEB]

Have a small flock of Lesser Goldfinch coming to my backyard just to feed on an artichoke. The peck holes in the leaves and shred the stems.
Seems peculiar to me. Is there any nutritional value to artichoke leaves and stems that draws them to my yard? The artichoke grows close to
a low living room window. My wife and I enjoy their visits.

 

[nartreb]

As plants go, artichokes are fairly nutritious - nice and starchy. (The part that humans eat is about twice as calorie-dense as a typical cabbage leaf; I'd guess an artichoke leaf or stem is similar. ) But I wonder if there might be some tiny insects that are their actual target. Some birds do eat green plant matter (ducks and geese, grouse, ostrich) but small, frequently-flying birds like finches generally can't afford to. Getting decent nutrition from stems and leaves means eating lots of it and/or spending a long time digesting it, and that comes with a serious weight penalty. A seed is going to be something like five times as calorie-dense as even a decent leaf like cabbage, and an insect is usually better than that.

 

[DALEB]

As plants go, artichokes are fairly nutritious - nice and starchy. (The part that humans eat is about twice as calorie-dense as a typical cabbage leaf; I'd guess an artichoke leaf or stem is similar. ) But I wonder if there might be some tiny insects that are their actual target. Some birds do eat green plant matter (ducks and geese, grouse, ostrich) but small, frequently-flying birds like finches generally can't afford to. Getting decent nutrition from stems and leaves means eating lots of it and/or spending a long time digesting it, and that comes with a serious weight penalty. A seed is going to be something like five times as calorie-dense as even a decent leaf like cabbage, and an insect is usually better than that.

nartreb:
Quite correct. That is why I am curious as why they eat holes into the leaves and shred the stems leaving the "strings". No insects that I can see, looked on underside and no aphids. However, my small flock of 5 comes multiple times a day and work on the artichoke. They have to work pretty hard to get small
bits to eat. Bit strange isn't it.

Daleb

 

[Halx020]

Don't really have much knowledge but i see them come to my yard.