Geospiza conirostris

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Parvordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea
Familia: Emberizidae
Genus: Geospiza
Species: Geospiza conirostris

Name

Geospiza conirostris Ridgway, 1890

The Large Cactus Finch (Geospiza conirostris) is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is one of Darwin's finches, and is endemic to the Galápagos islands, Ecuador, where it is restricted to Española, Genovesa, Darwin, and Wolf Islands. This rather dark bird resembles the smaller and finer-beaked Common Cactus Finch, but the two species do not co-inhabit any island. There are significant differences between the subspecies of the Large Cactus Finch; G. c. conirostris of Española has a far larger beak than G. c. darwinii and G. c. propinqua of the remaining three islands.

Its natural habitat is dry shrubland and it is commonly seen on the ground. Its main food source is the cactus Opuntia.
Geospiza conirostris -Espanola, Galapagos, Ecuador-29Sept2010.jpg

References

* BirdLife International 2004. Geospiza conirostris. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 25 July 2007.