Geospiza

Geospiza is a genus of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. All species in the genus are endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Together with related genera, they are collectively known as Darwin's finches. Although in the past, they were classified in the bunting and American sparrow family Emberizidae, more recent studies have shown they belong in the tanager family.

Taxonomy and species list

The genus Geospiza was introduced in 1837 by the English ornithologist John Gould with the large ground finch as the type species. The genus name derives from the two Ancient Greek words Template:Wikt-lang (Template:Grc-transl), meaning "earth", and Template:Wikt-lang (Template:Grc-transl), a catch-all term for finch-like birds. The member of the genus form part of a group collectively known as Darwin's finches. Although traditionally placed with the buntings and New World sparrows in the family Emberizidae, molecular phylogenetic studies have shown that Darwin's finches are members of the subfamily Coerebinae within the tanager family Thraupidae.

The genus contains the following nine species.

Image	Scientific name	Common Name	Distribution
File:Geospiza fuliginosa.jpg	Geospiza fuliginosa	Small ground finch	Galápagos Islands
File:Sharp-beaked Ground Finch (f) JCB.tif	Geospiza difficilis	Sharp-beaked ground finch	western/central Galápagos Islands
File:Genovesa Ground Finch (Geospiza acutirostris), female.jpg	Geospiza acutirostris	Genovesa ground finch	Genovesa Island
File:Vampire finch (4229090408).jpg	Geospiza septentrionalis	Vampire ground finch	Darwin and Wolf Island
File:Geospiza conirostris -Espanola, Galapagos, Ecuador-29Sept2010.jpg	Geospiza conirostris	Española cactus finch	Española Island
File:Genovesa Cactus Finch (Geospiza propinqua), female, Genovesa.jpg	Geospiza propinqua	Genovesa cactus finch	Genovesa Island
File:Large ground finch (4229035966).jpg	Geospiza magnirostris	Large ground finch	Galápagos Islands
File:Espanola 2010 09 29 0949.jpg	Geospiza scandens	Common cactus finch	Galápagos Islands
File:Geospiza fortis.jpg	Geospiza fortis	Medium ground finch	Galápagos Islands

Hybrids

A purported hybrid species (informally nicknamed "Big Bird") endemic to Daphne Major and formed almost four decades prior by hybridization between a vagrant Geospiza conirostris and a Geospiza fortis was also reported in 2017, though it has yet to be formally described.

External links

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