| Sharp-beaked ground finch | |
|---|---|
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| female on Genovesa Island | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thraupidae |
| Genus: | Geospiza |
| Species: | G. difficilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Geospiza difficilis Sharpe, 1888 | |
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Thesharp-beaked ground finch (Geospiza difficilis) is a species ofbird in theDarwin's finch group of thetanager familyThraupidae. It is classified as aleast-concern species by theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature and it is native to the Galápagos Islands in Ecuador.[1] It has a mass of around 20 grams (0.71 oz) and the males have black plumage, while females have streaked brown plumage.[2] This finch wasdescribed byRichard Bowdler Sharpe in 1888.[3]
This relatively small, slender-billed finch isendemic to theGalápagos Islands, where it is found onFernandina,Santiago,Pinta,Genovesa,Darwin, andWolf Islands.[2] On the first three islands, it breeds in the humid highlands and disperses afterwards, but on the remaining smaller and lower islands the sharp-beaked ground finch is found in the arid zone year-round. Due tohabitat destruction its range has decreased. It was formerly also present in the highlands of several other islands, and it is possible it still occurs onIsabela.[2]
Both thevampire ground finch and theGenovesa ground finch were considered subspecies. TheInternational Ornithologists' Union have split them based on strong genetic, morphological, and song evidence, while other taxonomic authorities still consider them conspecific.
