Genovesa Cactus Finch - BirdForum Opus

Subspecies propinqua (female)
Photo by nkgray
Isla Genovesa (Galapagos), Ecuador, September 2013

Geospiza propinqua

Identification

13-15 cm, with a long and strong bill. This varies from orange-yellow to mostly brownish to all black in some males.
Male in terminal plumage is all black except for white feather edges on vent area. Female is variable but often mostly dark in the head with more obvious streaking on the back (mostly dark with paler streaking) and underside (mostly pale with darker streaking).

Distribution

Only found on Genovesa in Galapagos, Ecuador.

Taxonomy

Female in typical plumage
Photo by HelenB
Isla Genovesa, Galapagos, Ecuador, October 2019

Genovesa Cactus Finch and Espanola Ground Finch were previously considered one species, the Large Cactus Finch, but they are no longer considered each others closest relative.

Subspecies

This is a monotypic species[1].

Habitat

Low-lying areas containing dry scrub and prickly pear cactus.

Behaviour

Food includes frequently flowers, fruit and pulp of prickly pear as well as insects and seeds.

Vocalisation

Songs of this species mainly described as rolling with a buzzy quality.

References

1. Clements, J. F., P. C. Rasmussen, T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, T. A. Fredericks, J. A. Gerbracht, D. Lepage, A. Spencer, S. M. Billerman, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2023. The eBird/Clements checklist of Birds of the World: v2023. Downloaded from https://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F, D Donsker, and P Rasmussen (Eds). 2024. IOC World Bird List (v 14.2). Doi 10.14344/IOC.ML.14.2. http://www.worldbirdnames.org/
3. Birdforum thread with discussions of taxonomy of Darwin's finches. The section following post #38 (at least) is relevant for this species
4. Jaramillo, A., J. del Hoyo, D. A. Christie, N. Collar, and C.J. Sharpe (2020). Genovesa Cactus-Finch (Geospiza propinqua), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S. M. Billerman, B. K. Keeney, P. G. Rodewald, and T. S. Schulenberg, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.gencaf1.01

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Genovesa Cactus Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 26 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Genovesa_Cactus_Finch

External Links

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