Who Eats Cones?

Everyone has likely seen spruce and pine cones while exploring nature. Many people also know that squirrels, for example, feed on spruce cones. In addition, several bird species, such as woodpeckers and crossbills, as well as small rodents like wood mice and bank voles, use cones as a food source.

However, animals do not eat the cones entirely; instead, they extract only the nutrient-rich seeds. Getting the seeds out requires proper tools—rodents use their strong front teeth, while birds use their powerful beaks to separate the seeds from the cone scales. By examining a gnawed cone, you can often determine which animal has been feeding on it. Next time you see a cone that looks eaten, try identifying which animal visited it.

1. Wood mouse and bank vole eat the cone very precisely, leaving almost no scales on the cone base.
2. Squirrel cleans the cone thoroughly, leaving only small remnants of scales on the base.
3. Great spotted woodpecker pecks at the cone with its beak to remove the seeds, leaving more scales behind than the wood mouse or the squirrel.