- Camarhynchus psittacula
Identification
13 cm, has a bill that is as high as long and with strongly curved culmen; the tips of the bill cross over, making it the "crossbill" of the Galapagos (difficult to see in the field but can be noticed on photos).
Male in terminal plumage has black hood, greenish-olive upperside and pale underside. It should have streaking both above and below but this is often inconspicuous.
Female is mostly greyish olive with inconspicuous markings.
Distribution
Taxonomy
- C. p. habeli
- Pinta and Marchena
- C. p. affinis
- Isabela and Fernandina
- C. p. psittacula
- Seymour, Barrington, Santa Cruz, Floreana, Pinzón, Rábida, Santiago
Habitat
Mostly higher elevation forest, may move downwards in dry season.
Behaviour
Breeds during the wet season.
Diet
It feeds on the fruits of native plant species, and on insects for which it forages under leaves and excavates dead branches.
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
- Jaramillo, A. and C.J. Sharpe (2020). Large Tree-Finch (Camarhynchus psittacula), 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.latfin1.01
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2025) Large Tree Finch. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 27 April 2025 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Large_Tree_Finch
