Green Warbler-Finch Skull Replica

Description

Green Warbler-Finch Skull Replica is a museum-grade polyurethane resin cast from the California Academy of Sciences CAS-ORN-4931 specimen. The model specifically features a 2-part skull consisting of a separate cranium and jaw. Green Warbler-Finch specimen is molded at a 1:1 scale (life-size) and is proudly Made in USA.

Green Warbler-Finch Skull Replica Specimen (Certhidea olivacea)

• Dimensions: 3.93 l x 1.12 w x 1.28 h in (10.0 cm x 2.8 cm x 3.2 cm)
• Museum Source: California Academy of Sciences (CAS)
• Catalog / Item #: CAS-ORN-4931
• Components: 2-part skull (separate cranium and mandible)
• Sex: Adult male
• Scale: 1:1 scale (life-size)
• Material: Polyurethane resin
• Origin: Made in USA
• Weight of Replica: 0.02 lbs / 9.0 g
• Shipping Weight: 1.0 lb / 453.6 g

Green Warbler-Finch Skull Replica Field Information

• Catalog Number: CAS-ORN-4931
• Field Number: #G-1905-06
• Date: 12 October 1905
• Location: Iguana Cove, Albemarle Island (Isabela), Galápagos Islands, Ecuador
• Curation: California Academy of Sciences, Department of Ornithology and Mammalogy
• Sex: Adult male

Anatomy & Scientific Information (Skull and Mandible)

Cranial Structure:
The Green Warbler-Finch specimen skull is characterized by an extremely thin, pointed, and warbler-like beak typical of the genus Certhidea.

Diagnostic Features:
Furthermore, mature males exhibit a slender, insectivorous bill on this Green Warbler-Finch specimen that is significantly smaller and more refined than the seed-crushing bills of other Darwin’s finches.

Mandibular Structure:
This Green Warbler-Finch specimen also features delicate mandibular ossification optimized for gleaning small arthropods from foliage.

Maxillary Structure:
On this Green Warbler-Finch specimen, the upper mandible is specialized for rapid probing and capturing insects in highland forests.

Sexual Dimorphism:
Notably, mature males of the Green Warbler-Finch specimen develop a distinct reddish-orange throat patch during the breeding season, while females exhibit a uniform brownish-grey plumage.

Green Warbler-Finch Scientific Classification

• Domain: Eukaryota
• Kingdom: Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Class: Aves
• Order: Passeriformes
• Family: Thraupidae
• Genus: Certhidea
• Species: C. olivacea
• Binomial name: Certhidea olivacea Gould, 1837
• Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)

Collectors and educators seeking to illustrate the diversity of avian adaptation often start with the contrast between the Green Warbler and the Medium Ground Finch.

The Darwin’s Finch set of twelve skulls in this collection provide physical evidence of ecological niche partitioning within the Galapagos archipelago. By comparing specialized structures, such as the robust mandibles of the Large Ground Finch and the slender beak of the Warbler Finch, observers can see how competition for resources led a single ancestral species to radiate into distinct ecological roles.