NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Espanola Cactus Finch
Geospiza conirostris Ridgway, 1890
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
A Large Cactus-finch on Española Island, the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.
Erik · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Española cactus finch (Geospiza conirostris) is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is one of Darwin's finches, and is endemic to the Galápagos islands, where it is restricted to Española, Genovesa, and the Darwin and Wolf Islands. This rather dark bird resembles the smaller and finer-beaked common cactus finch, but the two species do not co-inhabit any island.
Its natural habitat is dry shrubland and it is commonly seen on the ground. Its main food source is the cactus Opuntia.
Wikipedia contributors, Española cactus finch; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T09:24:34.180995+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Geospiza conirostris Ridgway, 1890
- Name authority
- Ridgway, 1890
- Common name
- Espanola Cactus Finch
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
- Genus
- Geospiza
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyThraupidae
- genusGeospiza Gould, 1837
- speciesGeospiza conirostris Ridgway, 1890
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Geospiza. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Large Ground FinchGeospiza magnirostris Gould, 1837 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Genovesa Ground FinchGeospiza acutirostris Ridgway, 1894 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sharp-beaked Ground FinchGeospiza difficilis Sharpe, 1888 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Medium Ground FinchGeospiza fortis Gould, 1837 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Small Ground FinchGeospiza fuliginosa Gould, 1837 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Genovesa Cactus FinchGeospiza propinqua Ridgway, 1894 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Common Cactus FinchGeospiza scandens (Gould, 1837) | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Vampire Ground FinchGeospiza septentrionalis Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Geospiza conirostris conirostris Ridgway, 1890 Ridgway, 1890 | synonym |
| Geospiza conirostris darwini Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899 Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899 | synonym |
| Geospiza propinqua darwini Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899 Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899 | synonym |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=560235 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:3FSBX. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.