Not all birds of this beak type eat large seeds, though. The American goldfinch, for example, loves thistle, or Nyjer. Its small beak is perfect for tiny, tough thistle seeds.

Finch Beak Data Sheet: Few people have the tenacity of ecologists Peter and Rosemary Grant, willing to spend part of each year since 1973 in a tent on a tiny, barren volcanic island in the Galapagos.

Notice the different types of beaks and how their shapes dictate a bird’s dining habits — particularly the way it consumes black oil sunflower seeds, a highly preferred food among feeder birds.

Darwin's finches, inhabiting the Galapagos archipelago and Cocos island, constitute an iconic model for studies of speciation and adaptive evolution. A team of scientists has now shed light on the ...

Twin Beaks Darwin's theory of evolution is widely accepted as valid, but it is usually difficult to see the process in action. A 30-year study of finches on a Galapagos island has changed all that ...

The beaks of Darwin’s medium ground finches can evolve to crush the shells of hard seeds (Andrew Hendry/University of Massachusetts Amherst/PA) Your support helps us to tell the story.

Every year, billions of birds migrate in and out of the United States. And across the world, birds fly thousands of miles to ...

Another finch uses twigs or cactus spines to dislodge and snack on insects, while another, nicknamed the vampire finch, has evolved an especially sharp beak that allows it to peck at seabirds and ...

Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, ... — like those red and clear plastic ones filled with homemade sugar water — changed the size and shape of the birds' beaks.

Since Darwin’s finches use songs to attract mates, the song changes related to beak evolution could be a catalyst behind ecological speciation. However, speciation is a historical process that ...