- Geospiza acutirostris
Identification
11-12 cm with a pointed bill (longer than tall and quite straight)
Full plumage male is black with white edges to under-tail coverts and vent area.
Female has dark olive-brown head (hint of buffy eye-ring) and upper-side with contrasting feather edges more prominent on the back. Wing coverts are strongly edged cinnamon producing impression of wing bars, more narrowly edged on flight feathers. Under-side is buff with darker streaking, getting paler on under-tail coverts to whitish buff.
Immature males like females with more strongly dark head. Whether a male needs to reach fully black breeding plumage to breed is doubtful.
Bill in both sexes range from brownish with yellow tip and orange at base during breeding to orange-yellow outside (highest breeding male may have completely black bill). Eyes and legs are dark.
Distribution
Genovesa in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador.
Taxonomy
Until recently, this species was included under Sharp-beaked Ground Finch
Habitat
Low elevation shrub and prickly pear areas.
Behaviour
Small invertebrates and seeds with flowers of prickly pears less important food items.
Vocalisation
Short, buzzing, low-pitched sounds given as a well-spaced series.
References
- Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, S. M. Billerman, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2019. The eBird/Clements Checklist of Birds of the World: v2019. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
- Swash, A & R Still 2005. Birds, Mammals and Reptiles of the Galapagos Islands, 2nd ed. Christopher Helm and Wildguides Ldt. ISBN 978-0-7136-7551-1
- del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and C.J. Sharpe (2020). Vampire Ground-Finch (Geospiza septentrionalis), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.shbgrf1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Genovesa Ground Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Genovesa_Ground_Finch
