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Medium Ground-Finch
Geospiza fortis
Silhouette: Ryan Cupo · PhyloPic
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Chordates)
- ClassAves (Birds)
- OrderPasseriformes (Perching Birds)
- FamilyThraupidae (Tanagers and Allies)
- GenusGeospiza (Ground-Finches and Cactus-Finches)
- SpeciesGeospiza fortis (Medium Ground-Finch)
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
5,924 Verified sightings at Galápagos Islands From 2019 to 2026
5,924 In 1 park
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted
About the Medium Ground-Finch
The medium ground finch (Geospiza fortis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is endemic to the Galápagos Islands. Its primary natural habitat is tropical shrubland. One of Darwin's finches, the species was the first which scientists have observed evolving in real-time.
Many studies and research have been conducted on medium ground finches: there are the most famous studies conducted by Charles Darwin and more recent studies conducted in relation to the changes revolving around the medium ground finches due to natural selection. Due to an increase in urbanization on the Galápagos Islands, droughts and climate change, character displacement, changes in the finch's habitat and range, inbreeding and nesting, parasites, and viruses, medium ground finches have gone through changes. Changes that have been observed are beak size, behavior in feeding, behavior in inbreeding, behaviors in nesting, antibody development and more. The changes in the Galápagos Islands are factors that affect the medium ground finches.
Like the other members of its genus, the medium ground finch is strongly sexually dimorphic; the female's plumage is brown and streaky, while the male... Wikipedia →
Recent sightings of Medium Ground-Finch in Galápagos Islands
LIVEiNaturalistGlobal Distribution
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Zoos & Centres Where Found
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leipzig Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 2 | Zoologischer Garten Leipzig | 🇩🇪 Germany |
Closest Relatives at Galápagos Islands
Before you go
What are the chances of seeing a Medium Ground-Finch in Galápagos Islands?
Likely
About 50% of wildlife watchers report a Medium Ground-Finch sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 5,924 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 14th most-seen of the 114 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
When is the best time to see a Medium Ground-Finch in Galápagos Islands?
May and July–March
In those months about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Medium Ground-Finch in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against about 40% in April and June, the lowest months.
What time of day is best to see a Medium Ground-Finch?
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Medium Ground-Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Where else can you see a Medium Ground-Finch?
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Medium Ground-Finch sightings: about 50% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Which relatives of the Medium Ground-Finch live in Galápagos Islands?
Same genus: Geospiza
The closest relatives of the Medium Ground-Finch that you can see in Galápagos Islands (genus Geospiza, Ground-Finches and Cactus-Finches) are Small Ground-Finch (about 70%), Common Cactus-Finch (about 20%) and Large Ground-Finch (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
Where does the Medium Ground-Finch sighting chance come from?
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Medium Ground-Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Galápagos Islands (5,924 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.
