Darwin's finches

Galapagos finches

(gəlä`pəgōs'), species of small perching birds, constituting the subfamily Geospizinae of the tanagertanager
, any of the small, migratory perching birds of the family Thraupidae, chiefly of the tropical New World. Only five species migrate to North America; of these the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) has the widest range in the United States. It is about 7 in.
..... Click the link for more information. family. Not related to the true finches, this group of at least fifteen species is confined to the Galápagos Islands, except for a single species found on Cocos Island, about 600 mi (960 km) northeast. Their special adaptations to various habitats were important evidence considered by Charles DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert,
1809–82, English naturalist, b. Shrewsbury; grandson of Erasmus Darwin and of Josiah Wedgwood. He firmly established the theory of organic evolution known as Darwinism.
..... Click the link for more information. in formulating the theory of evolutionevolution,
concept that embodies the belief that existing animals and plants developed by a process of gradual, continuous change from previously existing forms. This theory, also known as descent with modification, constitutes organic evolution.
..... Click the link for more information. ; they are a striking example of adaptive radiationadaptive radiation,
in biology, the evolution of an ancestral species, which was adapted to a particular way of life, into many diverse species, each adapted to a different habitat.
..... Click the link for more information. .

Geographically isolated and without competition from similar species, Darwin's finches developed distinctive anatomy (particularly beak size and shape) and behaviors, with each species exploiting a unique feeding niche. The bill is adapted in the different species for different purposes, such as crushing seeds, pecking wood, and probing flowers for nectar. The woodpecker finch, Camarhynchus pallidus or Cactospiza pallida, an insect-eater, holds twigs and cactus spines in its beak to fish out larvae in tree cavities. Darwin proposed that the Galapagos finches evolved on the islands from a single bird species from mainland South America. Modern methods of DNA (genetic) analysis have confirmed his insight. Darwin's finches are classified in several genera of the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Thraupidae, subfamily Geospizinae.

Bibliography

See P. Grant, Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches (1986).

单词	darwin's finches
释义	Darwin's finches Darwin's finches pl n (Animals) the finches of the subfamily Geospizinae of the Galapagos Islands, showing great variation in bill structure and feeding habits: provided Darwin with evidence to support his theory of evolution Dar′win's finch′es n. pl. a group of Galapagos Island finches, esp. of the genus Geospiza, that were observed by Charles Darwin and provide a striking example of speciation. [1945–50] Darwin's finches Darwin's finches or Galapagos finches (gəlä`pəgōs'), species of small perching birds, constituting the subfamily Geospizinae of the tanagertanager , any of the small, migratory perching birds of the family Thraupidae, chiefly of the tropical New World. Only five species migrate to North America; of these the scarlet tanager (Piranga olivacea) has the widest range in the United States. It is about 7 in. ..... Click the link for more information. family. Not related to the true finches, this group of at least fifteen species is confined to the Galápagos Islands, except for a single species found on Cocos Island, about 600 mi (960 km) northeast. Their special adaptations to various habitats were important evidence considered by Charles DarwinDarwin, Charles Robert, 1809–82, English naturalist, b. Shrewsbury; grandson of Erasmus Darwin and of Josiah Wedgwood. He firmly established the theory of organic evolution known as Darwinism. ..... Click the link for more information. in formulating the theory of evolutionevolution, concept that embodies the belief that existing animals and plants developed by a process of gradual, continuous change from previously existing forms. This theory, also known as descent with modification, constitutes organic evolution. ..... Click the link for more information. ; they are a striking example of adaptive radiationadaptive radiation, in biology, the evolution of an ancestral species, which was adapted to a particular way of life, into many diverse species, each adapted to a different habitat. ..... Click the link for more information. . Geographically isolated and without competition from similar species, Darwin's finches developed distinctive anatomy (particularly beak size and shape) and behaviors, with each species exploiting a unique feeding niche. The bill is adapted in the different species for different purposes, such as crushing seeds, pecking wood, and probing flowers for nectar. The woodpecker finch, Camarhynchus pallidus or Cactospiza pallida, an insect-eater, holds twigs and cactus spines in its beak to fish out larvae in tree cavities. Darwin proposed that the Galapagos finches evolved on the islands from a single bird species from mainland South America. Modern methods of DNA (genetic) analysis have confirmed his insight. Darwin's finches are classified in several genera of the phylum ChordataChordata , phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals. ..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Aves, order Passeriformes, family Thraupidae, subfamily Geospizinae. Bibliography See P. Grant, Ecology and Evolution of Darwin's Finches (1986). Darwin's finches Darwin's finches a group of finches that occurs on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific. The islands are oceanic and were colonized by an ancestral type which has speciated and provides an excellent example of ADAPTIVE RADIATION.
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Darwin's finches

Darwin's finches

Dar′win's finch′es

Darwin's finches

Darwin's finches

Galapagos finches

Bibliography

Darwin's finches

Darwin's finches