How many finch species did Darwin send to the British Museum?
1 Answer
Of the 31 finches that Darwin sent to the British Museum 9 of the presently recognized species are represented.( p 22 The Beak of the Finch)
Explanation:
Today there are 13 different species of Darwin's finches from the Galapagos Islands. Darwin visited only four of the Islands. Some of the presently recognized species do not live on the four islands he visited. Darwin sent samples to the British from only 3 of the islands.
Darwin did not recognize the importance of the Finches at the time he collected them. Many of the species have only minor differences between them. The species difference are often determined by nesting, and feeding habits more than observational differences.
Also interbreeding and hybridization of the different species have been observed calling into question if there are indeed difference species of finches. The beak of the Finch shows that the changes in the size of the beaks in the Finches are cyclical the beaks get larger in dry seasons and then get smaller again in wet seasons.
