Medium ground finch

Medium ground finch
File:Geospiza fortis.jpg
Male
File:Female Galápagos medium ground finch.jpg
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thraupidae
Genus:	Geospiza
Species:	G. fortis
Binomial name
Geospiza fortis Gould, 1837

The medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. One of Darwin's finches, the species was the first which scientists have observed evolving in real-time.

In 1977, a severe drought reduced the supply of seeds in the Galapagos. The finch, which normally preferred small and soft seeds, was forced to turn to harder larger seeds. Subsequently, there has been a 10% change in the size of beak for these finches in a couple of generations.

The population of medium ground finches has been experiencing inbreeding depression due to small population numbers. Inbreeding depression occurs when there is a decrease in fitness due to individuals mating with genetic relatives. Typically, this leads to a loss of genetic diversity and a reduction in heterozygosity.

Description

Like the other members of its genus, the medium ground finch is strongly sexually dimorphic; the female's plumage is brown and streaky, while male's is solid black, with white tips to the undertail coverts. The bird measures 12.5 cm (4.9 in) in length—which falls between the lengths of the small and large ground finches. The bill of this species is quite variable in size, though the length of the upper mandible is always greater than the depth of the bill at its base. The wing shape, on average, seems to change with ecological shifts. Different selective pressures act on the wing shape of the finches, such as natural and sexual selection. The males have shorter, rounder wings, which help with maneuvering around a female during sexual displays.

Habitat and range

Endemic to the Galápagos, the medium ground finch is found on ten islands: Baltra, Floreana, Isabela, Fernandina, Seymour, Pinzón, San Cristóbal, Santa Cruz, Santa Fé, and Santiago.

Behavior

Feeding

The medium ground finch feeds primarily on seeds, although it is also known to eat flowers, buds, and young leaves, and the occasional insect. It forages either on the ground or in low vegetation.

Parasites

The medium ground finch has been under parasitism of Philornis downsi, as well as the avian pox virus (Poxvirus avium). Although outbreaks of the virus have been historically rare, in 2008 there was an outbreak that showed to be present in 50% of the finches tested. As a result, the finches have developed antibodies to fight specific invasive parasites. The finches with the highest amount of antibodies tend to have the highest fitness, and therefore produce more viable offspring.

Philornis downsi

Using a new mathematical model, a 2015 study, by Dr Jennifer Koop of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, suggests the population of 270,000 birds on Santa Cruz may become extinct in 50 years. The flies lay eggs in the nest including in the nestlings nostrils. The larvae feed on living tissue and in worst cases can perforate the bill. Possible solutions include the introducton of parasitic wasps which would lay eggs on the larva, or cotton wool treated with a pesticide which the adult birds would use when constructing the nest.