It has been quiet on the Blog, so I thought I would put up a figure that just arrived in the mail today, the woodpecker finch (Camarhynchus pallidus) by Bandai from the Galapagos Nature Zone collection. The Galapagos collection is one of at least two geographically-focused sets in the Nature Zone series (the other I am aware of is for Australia). The Galapagos set comes with eight figures: two marine iguanas (one swimming and one sunning), a giant tortoise, a land iguana, a blue-footed booby (with chick), a Galapagos penguin, and a male frigate bird, and today’s woodpecker finch.
The woodpecker finch is a species of ‘Darwin finch’, a group of tanagers from the Galapagos Islands known for the striking variability in the strictures of their beaks to fill specific niches on the islands. The term ‘Darwin finch’ was used in honor of Charles Darwin who collected the first specimens during his voyages on the HMS Beagle to the Galapagos Islands. Studies of these birds would lend support to Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection.
The woodpecker finch is a small species that is best known for its use of tools and social learning. Woodpecker finches use small sticks or cactus spines to pry insect larvae out from under bark or from galleries in which they develop. This is an example of ‘social learning’ whereby the bird learns this technique from observing others. The source of the tool and frequency of using varies based on habitat and season. Some woodpecker finches will also eat seeds.
The figure, like many gashapon figures, comes in multiple parts. In this case four: bird (including stick and grub), two legs, and the base. In addition, there is a clear plastic rod to help keep the figure stable. The pieces fit fairly well, although the left leg is a bit of a challenge. This is a dynamic figure, excellently demonstrating the tool usage characteristic of this species (habitat-style bases are common among Bandai figures). The plastic is on the soft side, as common for Bandai figures. The paint job on the bird is fairly plain, which is OK, since in nature they are rather drab. The dorsal is a darker gray and the venter a pale gray; there are pale ‘shoulders’ on the bird, which does not appear to be a natural feature. Also, the beak is a bit bright.
EDIT: I just realized I forgot measurements. The wood base is 6.0 cm long. The bird is difficult to measure but is about 4.5 cm long, making it roughly 1:3.3 in scale.
This figure is an absolute must for any collector of interesting or obscure species. Bandai Nature Zone figures pop-up on eBay not infrequently, so getting this or others in the series should not be too difficult. The price can fluctuate however!