G. scandens Skull or Common Cactus Finch is museum quality polyurethane cast. Common Cactus Finch Skull is made in USA. One of Darwin’s Finches
The G. scandens or Common cactus finch is a species of bird in the Darwin’s finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae.
It is endemic to the Galapagos Islands, where it is found on most islands, with the notable exception of Fernandina, Española, Genovesa, Darwin and Wolf. Most of these islands are inhabited by its close relative, the Española cactus finch.
Its natural habitats are dry scrubland and woodland. It is usually closely associated with the cactus Opuntia helleri.
It is a cactus species which provides food almost all year round. G. scandens or Common cactus finch feeds on pulp, fruits, flowers and insects. According to the season, the diet varies.
The flowering cactus provides pollen and nectar, collected thanks to the specialized beak of this species. Fruits and seeds are important components of its diet too.
During the rainfall, other food items such as shoots, berries, seeds of Tribulus, caterpillars and worms are also taken.
The common cactus finch is one of nine species in the genus Geospiza, part of a group of closely related species known as Darwin’s finches.
The adult male G. scandens or Common cactus finch is almost entirely black, with browner wings and short tail. The vent is white with black centres on undertail-coverts.
The bill is robust, with spike-like shape and thick base, and downcurved culmen. Like other Darwin’s Finches, the male has black bill during the breeding season, becoming brown with orange base and yellow tip in transition period, and finally orange-yellow in non-breeding.
The eyes are dark brown. Legs and feet are blackish.
The female G. scandens or Common cactus finch has dark grey upperparts, head and throat, with pale olive-brown to greyish scaling. We can see a buffy eyering and faint buffy bands on supraloral area and cheek.
Wings and tail are dark olive-brown to blackish, with buffy-brown feather edges. The underparts are whitish, streaked dark brown, with small streaks on central belly and vent.
The bill is dark with orange base and yellow tip, becoming orange-yellow according to the period during the breeding season.
The Common Cactus-Finch’s call is a high “tip”. The song is a double note “zhhwe zhhwe”, but the bird can utter a more complex phrase “zhh-wah-wah zhh-wah-wah”.
Males usually sing only one song type, and due to the large bill, this species produces relatively lower sounds than other finches.
