Mangrove Finch

Mangrove Finch
Mangrove Finch
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Camarhynchus
Species: C. heliobates
Binomial name
Camarhynchus heliobates
(Snodgrass & Heller, 1901)

The Mangrove Finch, Camarhynchus heliobates, is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It was found on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela, but recent surveys have failed to record the species on Fernandina. It has been classified as critically endangered by BirdLife International, with an estimated population of between 60 and 140 located in two large mangroves on Isabela.[1] A study has shown that the two small populations remaining on Isabela Island have begun undergoing speciation and that one or both populations will eventually become extinct due to a lack of interbreeding.[2]

Habitat

As its name suggests, the Mangrove Finch lives in the mangroves of the Galápagos Islands. The mangrove finch feeds upon the various insects, larvae, spiders, and vegetable matter found in the mangroves. It closely resembles the far commoner Woodpecker Finch, but is not known to utilize tools.

References

  1. ^ "Species factsheet: Mangrove Finch". BirdLife International. 2007. http://www.birdlife.org/datazone/species/index.html?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=9612&m=0. 
  2. ^ "Darwin’s rarest finch meets an “evolutionary dead end”". Ars Technica. 2010-06-27. http://arstechnica.com/science/news/2010/06/darwins-rarest-finch-meets-an-evolutionary-dead-end.ars. 
  • BirdLife International (2004). Camarhynchus heliobates. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 17 April 2008. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern


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