Espanola Cactus Finch (Geospiza conirostris) [XC889856]
by id from Espanola, Galapagos, Ecuador (call, song)
Espanola Cactus Finch (Geospiza conirostris) [XC114156]
by Eric DeFonso from Isla Espa\u00f1ola, Galapagos, Ecuador (song)
Subspecies
Recent molecular-genetic research suggests that the Galapagos group consisting of present genus and Certhidea, Platyspiza and Camarhynchus, known collectively as "Darwin's finches", is allied to the tanagers (Thraupidae), being closest to Coereba, Tiaris and several Caribbean genera. On Genovesa (Tower), this species hybridizes rarely with Large Ground-Finch (Geospiza magnirostris) and sometimes with smaller Sharp-beaked Ground-Finch (Geospiza difficilis). Genetic studies suggest that Española and Genovesa populations are rather distantly related, which would make present taxonomic arrangement paraphyletic. However, north-western populations (darwini) were not sampled, although those on Darwin (Culpepper) and Wolf (Wenman) similar in bill size to those on Genovesa.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
darwini Ridgway, 1890 - Darwin I and Wolf I, in extreme north-western Galapagos Is. Considered by some authors to be a subspecies of Genovesa Cactus-finch (Geospiza propinqua).
propinqua Ridgway, 1894 - Genovesa, in northern Galapagos Is. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Genovesa Cactus-finch (Geospiza propinqua).
conirostris Ridgway, 1890 - Española, in south-eastern Galapagos Is.
BirdLife International Species Factsheet