Gran Canaria blue chaffinch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Gran Canaria blue chaffinch |
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| Male | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Fringilla
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| Species: |
polatzeki
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| Synonyms | |
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Fringilla teydea polatzeki, Hartert 1905 |
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The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki) is a special kind of bird that belongs to the finch family. It lives only on the island of Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands. This makes it an endemic species, meaning it's found nowhere else in the world!
Contents
About This Bird
For a long time, scientists thought the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch was just a type of another bird, the Tenerife blue chaffinch. It was called Fringilla teydea polatzeki. But in 2016, a new study showed that it's actually its own unique species. So now it has its own name: Fringilla polatzeki.
What Does It Look Like?
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Gran Canaria blue chaffinches look a bit like common chaffinches. They are smaller than the blue chaffinches found on the island of Tenerife. You can also tell them apart because they have two white stripes on their wings. Their bellies are whiter, and they have fewer blue colors overall.
Female Gran Canaria blue chaffinches are a dull grey-brown color.
Where Does It Live?
This bird is found only in the high parts of Gran Canaria. It mostly lives in the Inagua Natural Reserve. Its favorite home is in the mountain Canary Island pine (Pinus canariensis) forests. These forests are usually about 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) high. The birds like areas with lots of old, thick pine trees.
Habits and Life Cycle
The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch mainly eats seeds from the Canary Island pine trees. Like the common chaffinch, it feeds its young mostly on insects. This is different from most other finches.
These birds usually breed from late April to late July or early August. They build their nests using pine needles and branches from broom plants. A female bird will lay two eggs. These birds do not migrate; they stay in Gran Canaria all year. Sadly, many young birds do not survive because of predators, especially the Great Spotted Woodpecker.
In Danger of Extinction
The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch is one of the most endangered birds on Earth. The Tenerife blue chaffinch lives in many places on its island. But the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch has a much smaller population. It lives only in the pine forests of Ojeda, Inagua, and Pajonales. This makes it very vulnerable.
See also
In Spanish: Pinzón azul de Gran Canaria para niños
