One of the 4 finches on WAnimals
Birds · Passeriformes · Thraupidae
Cocos Finch
Pinaroloxias inornata
It faces a high risk of extinction in the wild over the medium term. See full glossary
The Cocos finch is the only one of Darwin's finches that does not live in the Galápagos: it belongs to the same group as those, but it colonised an island more than 700 kilometres away. Its history is the reverse of its relatives': instead of diversifying into several species with different bills, it stayed as a single one that does everything.
Weight
12 g – 18 g
Size
11 cm – 13 cm
Lifespan
8 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Social structure
In pairs
Usually lives in pairs, sometimes for life.
Sighting difficulty
Moderate
Estimated population
Around 5,000 mature individuals
Fun facts
- It is the only one of Darwin's finches outside the Galápagos, and its history is the reverse of its relatives': where they split into more than a dozen specialised species, it remained a single one that exploits every resource.
- Each individual develops its own feeding technique and keeps it for life: some probe bark, others look for nectar, others catch insects in flight, and that individual specialisation takes the place of speciation.
- That phenomenon, individual specialisation within a single species, is studied as an alternative to adaptive radiation and has made this finch a celebrated case in evolutionary ecology.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- Rainforest, scrub and coastal edge of Cocos Island, in the Costa Rican Pacific
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 14 days of incubation
- Litter / clutch size
- 2 eggs
Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinaroloxias_inornata
Where to watch it
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Cocos Finch — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Cocos Cuckoo
Coccyzus ferrugineus
Cocos Tyrannulet
Nesotriccus ridgwayi
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
Least ConcernBlue-footed Booby
Sula nebouxii
Least ConcernSooty Tern
Onychoprion fuscatus
Nazca Booby
Sula granti
How to help
The cocos finch is classified as vulnerable. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 1 real protected area — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about cocos finch.
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