Under these drastically changing conditions, the struggle to survive favored the larger birds with deep, strong beaks for opening the hard seeds. Smaller finches with less-powerful beaks perished.

Using digitization techniques, the researchers found that 14 distinct beak shapes, that at first glance look unrelated, could be categorized into three broader, group shapes. Despite the striking ...

How do you know that finches' beak depth is heritable? You can see from Figure 2 that there is a correlation between the parents' and offsprings' beak size. How did the finch population change ...

Scientists have pinpointed a molecular basis for size variations in the beaks of Galapagos finches', a phenomenon observed by Charles Darwin more than a century and a half ago. "The idea is that these ...

Females are more difficult to tell apart, so look closely at their faces: Purple finches have a bolder face pattern, with two white stripes stretching from their beaks to the nape of their necks.

The paper, by S. Lamichhaneyat Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues was titled, "A beak size locus in Darwin's finches facilitated character displacement during a drought." ...

They consult genetic scripture. Consider, for instance, the famous finches of the Galápagos. Darwin could see that their beaks were variously shaped—some broad and deep, others elongated ...

The different finch species on the islands are closely related to each other, but show wide variations in beak and body size and feeding behaviour. In particular, changes to the size and shape of the ...

A stunning image of two greenfinches locked in a mid-air battle has earned the prestigious POTW award.