I had smaller finch like birds ripping my leaves apart and it turns out that they were trying to peck at bugs and the leaves were collateral damage.

I also had little birds rip up the leaves of sunflowers. I wouldn't have believed it either except that I caught them in the act. They were sitting on the stalks and ripping into them until the leaves looked like lace. I really don't know why they were doing that because I don't think there were any bugs on the sunflowers. They almost seemed to be eating them -- I know geese eat grass, but I'm don't know about other birds.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you, but at least we are all puzzled together!

My mom has found birds pulling up marigold seedlings. She was blaming neighborhood kids until she saw it. I wonder if it's part of the nesting/brooding process, since they don't seem to bother the plants later in the season. She replanted a couple of weeks later and they left them alone.

I have had the same problem for 2 years, and it seems to be quail. I finally took netting off, and the next day, the back of one of my tomato plants was eaten off. Frustrating!

Lesser goldfinches. They eat my sunflower leaves and morning glory leaves and yes they are eating the leaves. I put bird netting up but the morning glory twines thru it. What a mess. Lol

We put out a thistle sock and the lesser goldfinches abandoned all other feeding sites and congregate on the sock.

Thinning out my leaves a little, wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing :-)