Small tree finch
| Small tree finch | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Thraupidae |
| Genus: | Camarhynchus |
| Species: | C. parvulus |
| Binomial name | |
| Camarhynchus parvulus (Gould, 1837) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Geospiza parvula | |
The small tree finch (Camarhynchus parvulus) is a bird species belonging to the Darwin's finch group within the tanager family Thraupidae. It has a grasping beak with curved culmens. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. During the non-breeding season it is known to form large groups with small ground-finches.
It is an endemic species to the Galapagos islands and its conservation status has been listed as “Least Concern”. However, bird counts which have been conducted since 1997 have shown a continuous decline in small tree-finch populations in the Scalesia and agricultural zones of Santa Cruz, where the small tree-finch is most abundant. Small tree-finch counts have remained stable in the transition zone (also quite abundant here) and in the less popular dry and fern zones on Santa Cruz island. A recent study has found that this species is in particularly impacted by the larvae of the parasitic avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi).