Española Ground-Finch
Geospiza conirostris
A large and stout-billed Galápagos finch confined to the island of Española. Identification is straightforward, since the only other finches living on Española (Small Ground-Finch and Gray Warbler-Finch) have relatively tiny bills. Bill is pure black on breeding male and marked with pink or orange on female and nonbreeding male. Male’s plumage is mostly sooty-black; female is browner with pale streaks on the underparts. Common in arid areas near the coast. Often seen perched on rocks and bushes, or hopping around on the beach.
Identification
The Española cactus finch is among the largest of the Darwin's finches, measuring 15 cm (5.9 in) in length. The male is black, with white-tipped undertail coverts. Female and immature birds range in color from dull gray to matte black, and frequently show white edges to the feathers of their underparts.
Taxonomy
The Española cactus finch is one of Darwin's finches, a group of closely related birds that evolved on the Galápagos Islands. The group is related to the Tiaris grassquits, which are found in South America and the Caribbean. An ancestral relative of those grassquits arrived on the Galápagos Islands some 2–3 million years ago, and the Española cactus finch is one of the species that evolved from that ancestor.<p>From a study done in 2015, the Española cactus finch (G. conirostris) of Española was found to be a sister to the large ground finch, not to the Genovesa cactus finch. The International Ornithologists' Union has changed the taxonomy based on the study. Other taxonomic authorities have kept the large cactus finch and the Genovesa cactus finch conspecific.
- Scientific name
- Geospiza conirostris
- Authority
- Ridgway, 1890
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Geospiza
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Small, compact bird found in the understory of humid, mossy mid-elevation montane forest. Males are dark gray with a brown back and cap; females are similar, with a reddish-orange face. Both sexes have white head plumes that are raised when agitated. Smaller and darker than antpittas, which are similar in body structure. Forages singly or in pairs. Listen for the male’s song, a series of raspy rising “bree?” notes, typically given early in the morning or at dusk.
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