Sister species of the Genovesa Cactus Finch (
Geospiza propinqua) (Lamichhaney
et al., 2015). Same design as the other ground finches, but somewhat more streamlined and acrobatic, with a notably longer and narrower beak, that is, much longer than wide, approximately twice the length of the width. Similar body size to the Medium Ground Finch (
Geospiza fortis), with which hybridization has been documented (Markert
et al., 2004; De Roy, 2022). Tolerates anthropogenic pressure, can be seen in towns, but requires areas with abundant Cacti (
Opuntia sp.), which it frantically searches for food. It has four subspecies distributed across different islands.
Geographic Distribution:
G. s. scandens in Santiago and Rábida;
G. s. intermedia in Isabela, Santa Cruz, Baltra, Pinzón, Santa Fé, Floreana, and San Cristóbal;
G. s. abingdoni in Pinta;
G. s. rothschildi in Marchena (Jaramillo and Christie, 2020a). Extinct in Pinzón (Fessl
et al., 2017). Rare in Floreana and San Cristóbal where the Opuntia is scarce (Kleindorfer
et al., 2022).
Description extracted from: La Grotteria (2023).
REFERENCESLa Grotteria, J. 2023. Identificación, comentarios y registros personales de pinzones de Darwin. Referencia Orientativa.