Previously included in the genus Camarhynchus, but Lamichhaney et al. (2015) show that this genus is embedded in Geospiza. It has a bill somewhat longer than tall, robust and hooked, with a notable curvature in the culmen. The male has a blackish cap, while the female has a streaked pectoral, generally faint and washed out. Very similar to the Vegetarian Finch (Platyspiza crassirostris), smaller in body size than the latter, and with a proportionally longer and higher bill. In the female, the lore is yellowish-white and it has conspicuous streaks on the wing coverts, although it doesn´t seem to be a determining feature. A characteristic to differentiate it from the Vegetarian Finch is that the cutting edge of the bill is rather straight with slight curves, dividing the upper and lower mandibles into similar parts, and this continues in an imaginary line below the eye. It has three subspecies.

There are numerous records for San Cristóbal in citizen science platforms, but it is evident that the vast majority are misidentified. Personally, I found not a single record with concrete evidence of this species on this island, with photographs of very diverse species and different ones identified as “Lorito,” and a large number of records without evidence. I believe an important factor for the confusion could be the subspecies G. p. salvini of the Small Tree Finch (Geospiza parvula) which has a noticeably larger bill and body size than the nominal subspecies.

Geographic Distribution:  G. p. psittacula inhabits Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, Floreana, Rábida, and Santiago; G. p. habeli inhabits Pinta and Marchena; G. p. affinis inhabits Isabela and Fernandina (Jaramillo and Sharpe, 2020); Extinct in Floreana (Fessl et al., 2017) and Pinzón (BirdLife International, 2023). Absent in Rábida and Santa Fé in recent censuses (2017-18) (Kleindorfer et al., 2022). The situation in San Cristóbal is uncertain (Fessl et al., 2017; Jaramillo and Sharpe, 2020; BirdLife International, 2023).

Description extracted from: La Grotteria (2023).

REFERENCES

La Grotteria, J. 2023. Identificación, comentarios y registros personales de pinzones de Darwin. Referencia Orientativa.

 See related literature