Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Small Ground-finch (Geospiza fuliginosa) - HBW 16, p. 682

French: Géospize fuligineux German: Kleingrundfink Spanish: Pinzón de Darwin Fuliginoso

Taxonomy: Geospiza fuliginosa 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. fortis. Monotypic.

Distribution: Galapagos Is: islands of Pinta (formerly Abington I), Marchena (Bindloe), Fernandina (Narborough), Isabela (formerly Albemarle), Santiago (James), Rábida (Jervis), Pinzón (Duncan), Baltra (Seymour), Santa Cruz (Indefatigable), Santa Fe (Barrington), Floreana (Charles) and satellites, San Cristóbal I (Chatham) and Española (Hood).