NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Genovesa Cactus Finch
Geospiza propinqua Ridgway, 1894
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.
Genovesa Cactus Finch (Geospiza propinqua), female, Genovesa
D. Gordon E. Robertson · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image sourceProvider-generated thumbnail requested at 800 pixels; no local editing Local WebP display rendition; resized without cropping.
Open encyclopedia reference
The Genovesa cactus finch (Geospiza propinqua) is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is one of Darwin's finches, and is endemic to the Galápagos islands, Ecuador, where it is restricted to Genovesa 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, Genovesa 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 propinqua Ridgway, 1894
- Name authority
- Ridgway, 1894
- Common name
- Genovesa 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 propinqua Ridgway, 1894
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Espanola Cactus FinchGeospiza conirostris Ridgway, 1890 | ThraupidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| 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 |
| 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 propinqua Ridgway, 1894 Ridgway, 1894 | synonym |
| Geospiza propinqua propinqua Ridgway, 1894 Ridgway, 1894 | 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.
- Ridgway, & Robert. (1894). Descriptions of twenty-two new species of birds from the Galapagos Islands. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Vol. 17. 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:3FSC4. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.