Vampire Ground-Finch
Geospiza septentrionalis
A rarely-seen Galápagos finch restricted to the islands of Darwin and Wolf. These islands are usually visited only by divers, so few birders have a chance to see this species. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Sharp-beaked Ground-Finch, and it has a similarly-shaped sharp, thin bill with nearly straight edges. Bill is black on breeding male and dull orange on female and nonbreeding male. Male’s plumage is sooty-black; female is brown with paler underparts that are streaked with gray. Its ominous name comes from its occasional habit of drinking blood, which it extracts from other animals by pecking until the skin is broken.
Identification
The vampire finch is sexually dimorphic as typical for its genus, with the males being primarily black and the females grey with brown streaks. It has a lilting song on Wolf, a buzzing song on Darwin, and whistling calls on both islands; only on Wolf, a drawn-out, buzzing call is also uttered.
Taxonomy
Genus: Geospiza; Family: Thraupidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Geospiza septentrionalis
- Authority
- Rothschild & Hartert, EJO, 1899
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Geospiza
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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