![]() The phylum-level core gut microbiome for Darwin’s finches included the Firmicutes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Actinobacteria, with members of the Bacteroidetes at conspicuously low abundance. We characterized the microbial community associated with 12 species of Darwin’s finches using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples from 114 individuals across nine islands, including the unusual blood-feeding vampire finch ( Geospiza septentrionalis) from Darwin and Wolf Islands. While these iconic birds have been intensely studied, the composition of their gut microbiome and the factors influencing it, including host species, diet, and biogeography, has not yet been explored. ![]() New York Times, June 8, 2019.Darwin’s finches are a clade of 19 species of passerine birds native to the Galápagos Islands, whose biogeography, specialized beak morphologies, and dietary choices-ranging from seeds to blood-make them a classic example of adaptive radiation. The Vampire Birds of the Galápagos Have Fascinating Inner Lives. Absurd Creature of the Week: The Tiny Blood-Slurping Bird That Terrorizes the Galapagos. They will also push eggs from seabirds' nest onto the rocks below and drink the broken yolk. That's not to say that thes finches are completely harmless. They don't fight the attack and can fly away mostly unharmed. And even though they're fierce, these tiny birds only weigh about an ounce, while the seabirds are 50 times that weight. This all might sound like a horrible nightmare, but Vampire Finches aren't evil, they're just trying to survive. Other finches cluster around the injured seabird to wait their turn. The finch then creates and open wound and starts to drink the blood. One will hop up to a seabird and peck at the wing with its viciously sharp beak. In the case of the Vampire Finch, bloodletting is a survival strategy these finches are particularly good at. He showed that the birds on different islands evolved in different ways in order to adapt and survive. Plus, that's where Charles Darwin famously sudied finches. After all, conditions are often harsh and dry in the remote Galapagos Islands. But when food supplies get low, the finch finds an alternative source of nutrition: the blood of local seabirds. On two islands in the Galapagos, these birds eat a typical diet of seeds and nectar. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction, as in the case of Vampire Finches. Vampire Finches will also push eggs from seabirds’ nests onto the rocks below and drink the broken yolk. Y: I guess that if the seabirds aren’t too hurt, then that’s ok.ĭ: Well…sometimes. They don’t fight the attack and can fly away mostly unharmed. And though fierce, these tiny birds only weigh about an ounce-the seabirds are fifty times that weight. You’re going to give me nightmares.ĭ: Vampire Finches aren’t evi1-they’re just trying to survive. The finch creates an open wound and starts to drink the blood. I just hadn’t realized that bloodletting was a survival strategy.ĭ: It’s a strategy these finches are particularly good at. Plus, that’s where Charles Darwin famously studied finches. Y: That makes sense-conditions are often harsh and dry in the remote Galapagos Islands. Ever heard of Vampire Finches?ĭ: No, they’re real! On two islands out in the Galapagos, these birds eat a typical diet of seeds and nectar. Thank goodness it’s just fiction.ĭ: The truth is stranger than fiction, Yaël. Scary stuff! It took me forever to fall asleep. I stayed up late watching horror movies about vampires.
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