Home
Galapagos Introduction Galapagos Blog
Islands Description
Beaches
Travel Tips
Search This Site
Submit Questions
Adverstise With Us
Recommended Galapagos Tours Cruise Tours
Diving Tours
Luxury Land Tours
Economic Tours
Island Hopping Tours
Tour Itineraries
Best Hotel
Visitor Testimonials
Economic Flights
Galapagos Pictures, Videos and Maps Stunning Pictures
Videos
DVDs
Islands Map
Galapagos Endemic Animals Giant Tortoises
Endemic Wildlife
Marine Life
Galapagos Birds
Galapagos Miscellaneous History
Culture
Weather
Geography
Volcanoes
Vegetation
Charles Darwin
Galapagos Books
Free Newsletter
Ecuador
Information
ECUADOR
Main Cities
Ecuador Facts
Map of Ecuador
Ecuador Real Estate
Homes for Sale
Mansion for Sale
Amazon Jungle Tour
Ecuador FAQ
Cheap Air Flights
About This
Web Site
Contact Me
About the Author
Travel Links
Site Map
Privacy Policy
Galapagos in
Spanish
Islas Galapagos
Tours a Galapagos

XML RSSSubscribe To This Site

XML RSS
Add to Google
Add to My Yahoo!
Add to My MSN
Subscribe with Bloglines

 

Galapagos Ground Finch Review

The Galapagos Ground Finch is endemic to this group of beautiful Islands in the Pacific Ocean.


These birds have strong beaks which are useful for feeding from seeds. The Galapagos finches eat parasites from the backs of Land Iguanas, Marine Iguanas and Giant Tortoises and they also feed on the eggs of these animals.

galapagos ground finch

Find Cheap Galapagos Flights and Vital Travel Facts

There is an interesting finch bird on Wolf Island, it is the Sharp Beaked Ground Finch.

This bird is known as the Vampire Finch because it pecks the flesh of the backs of masked boobies, red footed boobies and Blue Footed Boobies to feed on their blood.

Other species like the Woodpecker finch and Mangrove finch use small brushwood or a cactus spine to pull out the larva found in dead tree branches.

These are the only birds in the world that use this technique and it is quite a view to observe them feeding.

Male ground finches are black while the female finches are brownish. There are four species of Galapagos ground finches:

1) Sharp-Beaked Finch: (Geospiza nebulosa) belong to the highlands of the central and western islands.

This ground finch is called the vampire finch, for its feeding habit of drinking blood from boobies.


2) Small Ground Finch: (Geospiza fuliginosa) is very common throughout the Galapagos Islands except on Genovesa Island and Darwin Island.


3) Medium Ground Finch: (Geospiza fortis) can be seen in the major Islands (Isabela, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal) except in the smaller ones like Espanola or Genovesa.


4) Large Ground Finch: (Geospiza magnirostris) is less common and can be found only in the bigger Islands.

All these finch species have similar appearance, color and behavior.

It is a real challenge for birdwatchers to differentiate or guess the species to which each Galapagos ground finch belongs.

In total there are 13 species of Galapagos Finches which are classified by groups:

Ground finches, Tree finches, Vegetarian finches, Cactus finches and Mangrove finches.

The size of the Galapagos ground finch as most of other finch species is about 10 to 20 cm. Finches are similar in appearance but can be identified mainly by the form of their beaks.

Ground Finch Classification
Common Name Genus Species
Sharp-beaked ground FinchGeospizaDifficilis
Small Ground FinchGeospizaFuliginosa
Medium Ground FinchGeospizaFortis
Large Ground FinchGeospizaMagnirostris

The Galapagos ground finch is part of the amazing Galapagos Wildlife When you visit the Islands you will have the opportunity to see them all around you, look at their beaks and try to identify the species to which they belong.

It's a fun task to try to identify them after being there a while, though it is not easy, especially with the Galapagos ground finch.

And there are more beautiful birds to look for in Galapagos, like: Hawks, Flamingos, Lava Gulls, Galapagos Boobies, Pelicans, Nazca Boobies, Great Blue Herons, and much more.


Galapagos Recommended Reading:

Birds, Mammals, and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands: An Identification Guide, 2nd Edition
This is the most comprehensive guide to the unique wildlife of the Galapagos, excellent and detailed descriptions of its extraordinary birds, mammals, and reptiles. (Highly recommended)

A Guide to the Birds of the Galapagos Islands
It offers unprecedented comprehensive coverage. This field guide presents every species to have been recorded within the Archipelago, including accidentals and vagrants. (A very informative book if you are interested in knowing more about Galapagos birds).

More About Galapagos

Galapagos Birds

Galapagos Lava Heron

Search this Galapagos Site

Galapagos Islands Trips



Search This Site For More Information

Custom Search



If you have any questions about the Galapagos Birds or these Islands, Please post them on our Galapagos FAQ Page and if you'd like to request more information about our recommended Galapagos Land Tours to explore this Archipelago, You can Contact us here

Back from Galapagos Ground Finch to Galapagos Islands Home Page


footer for galapagos ground finch page