GALAPAGOS LANDBIRDS

Of the 29 resident Galapagos landbirds, 22 are endemic and all of them are thought to have colonised the islands from the South American mainland. Although largely dull in colour, they compensate by their extreme tameness. Beebe's attempt to photograph the flycatcher was foiled because the bird clung to the camera, and Darwin remarked on the doves which alighted on his arms and head.

The Woodpecker finch (Cactospiza pallidus) is one of the few tool-using birds in the world. The Sharp-billed ground finch (Geospiza difficilis) parasitises seabirds by hopping on the backs of masked and red-footed boobies where they peck at the skin until they are able to drink their blood.

The Galapagos Islands harbour several avian predators, notably the buzzard-like Galapagos hawk (Buteo galapagoensis), pictured above, the fierce Galapagos short-eared owl (Asio flammeus) and the barn owl (Tyto punctissima); all three are endemic races. The female hawk has the unusual habit of mating with several males, all of which help to incubate the eggs and rear the young. The partly diurnal short-eared owl, widespread in the Galapagos, tackles large seabird chicks by attacking the neck. The barn owl feeds mostly on rodents and insects.

Among the lesser known Galapagos landbirds are the tiny endemic rail (Lateralus spilonotus), which inhabits higher ground above 500 metres; the non-endemic Paint-billed crake(Neocrex erythrops); and the endemic Galapagos martin (Progne modesta).

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