the vampire ground finch is found in the galapagos islands. like most finches, they feed off of seeds, insects, and strangely, occasionally nectar. however, they differ from other closely related finches in that they also drink blood. the vampire ground finch earned its name from its habit of using its sharp beak to break skin on other birds, drinking their blood.
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the zebra finch is a small passerine bird native to central australia and indonesia. the finches are very social, and live in large colonies. their diet consists mainly of grass seeds; they breed based on availability of water, as they feed their young ripening seeds, not dried seeds.
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todays bird is: this society finch!
the woodpecker finch, a small finch native to the galapagos islands, is one of few non-corvid or psittacine bird species known to use tools. the finches use tools in up to 50% of their foraging, using sticks or cactus spines to access grubs and insects.
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the house finch is a small north american finch. house finches mainly eat seeds, along with berries, fruit and insects. house finches are closely related to the purple finch, but the male has redder coloration, and they are typically more territorial.
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a purple finch perches on a flower, eating off the flower buds. purple finches are native to north america – they are the state bird of new hampshire. purple finches are commonly mistaken for house finches, which are more territorial and frequently outcompete purple finches for nesting space.
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an american goldfinch feeds on thistle seeds, one of their primary food sources. goldfinches’ diet is mainly seeds – enough that brood parasites like cowbirds usually die from malnutrition if they hatch in goldfinch nests.
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american goldfinches primarily feed off of seeds from flower heads, with some preferred foods being thistle and sunflowers. their diet has an incredibly high percentage of seeds, though it is supplemented by fruits, berries, and insects.
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a side by side comparison of a male and female american goldfinch. the species is sexually dimorphic, but when the males are in their muted olive colored winter plumage it can be harder to differentiate between them.
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a new bird species is forming as scientists watch – in a rapid amount of time. scientists were studying galapagos finches in 1981 when they noticed a strange male finch – a large cactus finch, which lives on islands 60 miles away. this finch started breeding with female galapagos finches, and created hybrids. these hybrids bred exclusively amongst themselves, and have created a distinct population.
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today's bird 