Darwin's finches

American  

plural noun

1. a group of Galapagos Island finches, observed by Charles Darwin, that provide striking evidence of speciation.

---

Darwin's finches British  

plural noun

1. the finches of the subfamily Geospizinae of the Galapagos Islands, showing great variation in bill structure and feeding habits: provided Darwin with evidence to support his theory of evolution

---

Etymology

Origin of Darwin's finches

First recorded in 1945–50

Example Sentences

Take Darwin's finches: some evolved large beaks for nut-cracking, while others evolved small beaks for feeding on certain insects.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2024

And to be clear, even though the urban environment appears to help Darwin’s finches in the fight against avian vampire flies, no one is suggesting we pave over the Galápagos to save the birds.

From National Geographic • Feb. 15, 2024

The strength of Darwin's finches as a study organism lies in what they can show about the early stages of speciation.

From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023

Many species there, including giant tortoises, marine iguanas and Darwin's finches, are found nowhere else on earth so their conservation is seen as vital.

From Reuters • May 9, 2023

Why, Jenkin might ask, weren’t all Darwin’s finches gradually turning gray?*

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee