Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Large Ground-finch (Geospiza magnirostris) - HBW 16, p. 682

French: Géospize à gros bec German: Großgrundfink Spanish: Pinzón de Darwin Picogordo

Taxonomy: Geospiza magnirostris Gould, 1837, Galapagos Islands.
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. Present species hybridizes rarely with G. conirostris on Genovesa; on Santa Cruz, large-scale hybridization with G. fortis thought to have occurred. Monotypic.

Distribution: Galapagos Is: islands of Pinta (Abington), Marchena (Bindloe), Genovesa (Tower), Fernandina (Narborough), Isabela (Albemarle), Santiago (James), Rábida (Jervis), Pinzón (Duncan), Baltra (Seymour), Santa Cruz (Indefatigable) and Santa Fe (Barrington); formerly also Floreana (Charles) and satellites.