Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Geospiza magnirostris
Pinzón de Tierra Grande, Pinzón tierrero grande, Large Ground Finch
![Large Ground Finch in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. Photo: Michael Dvorak, CDF.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/Geospiza_magnirostris.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris Gould, 1837, Genovesa Island, Galapagos. Photo: Paul McFarling, CDF, 2002.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/dscn4475.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2010.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/rh_0040_geospiza-magnirostris-tortugabay52.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Pinta Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2011.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/rh_0028_g-magnirostris-pinta.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Pinta Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2011.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/rh_0029_g-magnirstris-pinta.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2010.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/rh_0039_geospiza-magnirostris-scruz.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Santa Cruz Island, Galapagos. Photo: Ruben Heleno, CDF, 2010.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/rh_0038_geospiza-magnirostris-santa-cruz501.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Genovesa Island, Galapagos. Photo: CDF Archive, 2011.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/dscn0104.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Genovesa Island, Galapagos. Photo: Paul McFarling, CDF, 2002.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/dscn4473.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Genovesa Island, Galapagos. Photo: Paul McFarling, CDF, 2001.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/dscn2345.jpg)
![Geospiza magnirostris, Genovesa Island, Galapagos. Photo: Paul McFarling, CDF, 2008.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/img_0443.jpg)
![Large Ground Finch in Santa Cruz, Galapagos. Photo: Michael Dvorak, CDF.](https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/images/checklist/Geospiza_magnirostris.jpg)
The largest of ground finches, approx. 35 g. Massive beak with the depth at the base about the same as its height. Upper mandible starts over the eye line.
Threats Affected by the parasitic fly Philornis downsi that causes heavy chick mortality, though data is missing.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Geospiza
Species
magnirostris
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Geospiza strenua (Gould, 1837).
Preference for an altitude zone in Galapagos: Coastal zone - transition zone
Feeding preferences: Feeds on seeds and its very large beak allows it to handle very large seeds. It has also been observed feeding nestlings with large spiders.
Trophic role: Herbivorous
Reproduction mode: Exclusively sexual
Reproductive biology: Male displays in front of a dome shape nest. Only females are incubating (three to five eggs), both feed the chicks.
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: Listed by all the main islands except San Cristóbal (thought to be extinct), Darwin, and Española. However recent observations on San Cristóbal suggest the presence of some individuals. It is thought to be extinct on Floreana but is in the list of fossil species.
- Wiedenfeld, D.A. (2006) Aves, the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador. Check List 2006 2(2): 1-27.
- Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G. Milstead, B., Márquez, C., Zabala, J., Buitrón, P., Llerena, A., et al. (2007) Galapagos vertebrates: endangered status and conservation actions. Galapagos Report 2006–2007. Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, p. 104–110.
- Harris, M.P. (1973) The Galápagos avifauna. Condor 75(3): 265-278.
- Salvin, O. (1876) On the avifauna of the Galápagos Archipelago. Transactions of the Zoological Society of London 9: 447-510.
- Sundevall, C.J. (1871) On birds from the Galápagos Islands. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London 1871: 124-129.
- Castro, I. Phillips, A. (1996) A Guide to the Birds of the Galapagos Islands. Christopher Helm Publishers Ltd., London.
- Swarth, H.S. (1931) The Avifauna of the Galapagos Islands. Occ. Pap. Calif. Acad. Sci. 18: 1-299.
- Kleindorfer, S. Dudaniec, R.Y. (2006) Increasing prevalence of avian poxvirus in Darwin’s finches and its effect on male pairing success. Journal of Avian Biology 37: 69-76.
- Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G. Betancourt, F. (2008) Avifauna vs automotores. Informe Galápagos 2007-2008. FCD, PNG & INGALA. Puerto Ayora, Ecuador. p. 111–114.
- Bisconti, M. Landini, W., Bianucci, G., Cantalamessa, G., Carnevale, G. Ragaini, L. & Valleri, G. (2001) Biogeographic relationships of the Galapagos terrestrial biota: parsimony analyses of endemicity based on reptiles, land birds and Scalesia land plants. J. Biogeogr. 28: 495-510.
- Donohue, K. (2011) Darwin's Finches: Readings in the Evolution of a Scientific Paradigm University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 492 pp.
- Guerrero, A. Tye, A. (2009) Darwin's Finches as seed predators and dispersers. The Wilson Journal Of Ornithology 121 (4):752-764, 2009
- Alatalo, R. V. (1982) Bird Species Distributions in the Galapagos, Ecuador, and Other Archipelagoes: Competition Or Chance?. Ecology 63 (4): 881-887
- Farrington, H. Lawson, L., Clark, C. & Petren, K. (2014) The evolutionary history of Darwin's finches: speciation, gene flow, and introgression in a fragmented landscape. Evolution doi 10.1111/evo.12484.
- IUCN (2015) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2015-4. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 20 November 2015.
- Lamichhaney, S. Berglund, J., Sällman Almén, M., Maqbool, K., Grabherr, M., Martinez-Barrio, A., Promerova, M., Rubin, C.J., Wang, C., Zamani, N., Grant, B.R., Grant, P.R., Webster, M.T., Andersson, L. (2015) Evolution of Darwin’s finches and their beaks revealed by genome sequencing Nature 518: 371-386. doi:10.1038/nature14181
- Remsen, J.V. Areta, J.I.Jr., Cadena, C.D., Claramunt, S., Jaramillo, A., Pacheco, J.F., Pérez-Emán, J., Robbins, M.B., Stiles, F.G., Stotz, D.F., Zimmer, K. J. (2016) A Classification of the Bird Species of South America. South American Classification Committee. American Ornithologists' Union http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm
- IUCN (2017) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Version 2016-3. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 03 February 2017.
- Freile, J.F. Santander, T., Jiménez-Uzcátegui, G., Carrasco, L., Cisneros-Heredia, D., Guevara, E., Sánchez-Nivicela, M., Tinoco, B. (2019) Lista Roja de las aves del Ecuador Quito, Ecuador. 97 pp.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Geospiza magnirostris", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=5096. Accessed 7 February 2025.
Feeding type: Granivorous
Seeds