Camarhynchus heliobates
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The mangrove finch (Camarhynchus heliobates) is a species of bird in the Darwin's finch group of the tanager family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. It was found on the islands of Fernandina and Isabela, but recent surveys have failed to record the species on Fernandina. It has been classified as critically endangered by BirdLife International, with an estimated population of 20–40 mature individuals in 2021, located in two large mangroves on Isabela. A study has shown that the two small populations remaining on Isabela Island have begun undergoing speciation and that one or both populations will eventually become extinct due to a lack of interbreeding.
As its name suggests, the mangrove finch lives in the mangroves of the Galápagos Islands. The mangrove finch feeds upon the various insects, larvae, spiders, and vegetable matter found in the mangroves. It closely resembles the far commoner woodpecker finch, but is not known to use tools.
The main predators of the mangrove finch are cats, fire ants, paper wasps, and especially destructive black rats and parasitic flies. The black rats (Rattus rattus) are predators that account for 54%... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mangrove Finch sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 107th most-seen of the 114 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Mangrove Finch in Galápagos Islands on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Mangrove Finch sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Camarhynchus
The closest relatives of the Mangrove Finch that you can see in Galápagos Islands (genus Camarhynchus, Tree-Finches) are Small Tree-Finch (about 30%), Woodpecker Finch (about 10%) and Large Tree-Finch (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Mangrove Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Galápagos Islands (10 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
