Little Vermilion Flycatcher

(Pyrocephalus nanus)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable in the Galapagos Islands. Locally extinct on Floreana.

Overview: The Little Vermilion Flycatcher, an endemic species of the Galapagos, is insectivorous and is known for the red plumage of the males with black wings and eye markings. This species is territorial throughout the year, and the male performs special flights related to its simple and not very loud song. Reproduction generally occurs during the warm season, although nesting has been observed starting in October. Most of the time, it is the female's responsibility to build a cup-shaped nest, composed of moss, lichen, fibers, and feathers from other species, located on a horizontal branch at a height of approximately 2-10 meters. The female lays 2 to 3 eggs and handles incubation alone, while the male contributes to their feeding. Both parents are involved in feeding the chicks, which stay with them for about 4 weeks after leaving the nest. They require both trees for nesting and open spaces for accessing food, which are crucial for their reproduction.

Diet: Insectivorous. Vermilion Flycatchers perch on a high branch and flies to capture insects, flies, or butterflies. It can also collect arthropods from leaves, such as spiders and butterfly larvae, ranging from small aphids to large 4 cm larvae.
 

Large Ground Finch

(Geospiza magnirostris)

Conservation Status: Least Concern in the Galápagos Islands. Locally extinct on Floreana.

Overview: The Large Ground Finch is one of the largest species among Darwin's finches, measuring between 15 and 16 cm in length and weighing from 27 to 39 g. Similar to other Darwin's finches, males display black plumage, while females have streaked brown plumage.

Diet: Due to the size of its beak, it can feed on very large seeds and has even been observed feeding nestlings with spiders.

Sharp-beaked Ground Finch

(Geospiza difficilis)

Conservation Status: Least Concern in the Galápagos Islands. Locally extinct on Floreana.

Overview: The Sharp-beaked Ground Finch is endemic and inhabits the humid forest of Scalesia (Zanthoxylum). Charles Darwin collected several specimens in 1835. The males display black plumage, while females exhibit brown plumage on the upper parts and brown mottling on a whitish background on the lower parts.

Diet: Primarily feeding on invertebrates, especially snails, found in the leaf litter.

Lava Gull

(Leucophaeus fuliginosus)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable in the Galapagos Islands. Locally extinct on Floreana.

Estimated Population Size: The estimated population is approximately 300 to 600 individuals.

Overview: The Lava Gull, an endemic species of the Galapagos and a member of the hooded gull group, is a medium-sized and extremely rare species. This gull is primarily found on four islands: Santa Cruz, Genovesa, San Cristóbal, and Isabela, although sightings have been reported throughout the archipelago. Unlike most gulls that nest in colonies, Lava Gulls nest solitarily, with nests rarely closer than 100 meters apart, and they vigorously defend territories of approximately 2000 m2. They prefer to nest on the ground, sheltered by coastal vegetation, and typically lay two olive-colored eggs.

Diet: They are omnivorous and feed on various sources, such as small iguanas, sea turtles, lizards, small fish, crustaceans, and other marine life in shallow waters. They also feed on the placentas of Galapagos sea lions (Zalophus wollebaeki) and virtually anything they come across.

Galapagos Hawk

(Buteo galapagoensis)

Conservation Status: Vulnerable in the Galápagos Islands. Locally extinct on Floreana.

Estimated Population Size: Between 270 and 330 adult individuals.

Trophic Role: Carnivore

Overview: The Galápagos Hawk is an endemic species of the Galápagos Islands classified as Vulnerable according to the UICN. It exhibits genetic variations among islands and has a unique social structure, with groups composed of one female and multiple males defending territories. It is the only raptor species in the world that practices cooperative polyandry (a mating system in which multiple males form a cooperative group and mate with a single female), and the females are larger than the males. They reproduce once a year, laying up to three eggs, and the survival of one to three nestlings depends on food availability.

Diet: Galápagos Hawks are generalists in their feeding habits, consuming various live prey and also scavenging. Their diet includes lizards, centipedes, Galápagos doves, various species of finches, and introduced rats.

Floreana Giant Tortoise

(Chelonoidis niger)

Conservation Status: Currently, the UICN classifies it as extinct. The extinction of C. niger, with an estimated population of 8,000 individuals, is believed to have occurred in the 1840s or 1850s. Causes of extinction include extensive overexploitation by sailors, primarily whalers, who alone killed at least 1,775 tortoises between 1831 and 1837, and settlers who used them as a food source. The introduction of invasive vertebrate species, including goats, pigs, dogs, cats, donkeys, and rodents, which fed on eggs and juveniles or destroyed the tortoises' habitat, also played a significant role in their extinction. Recently, hybrid tortoises with high levels of C. niger ancestry were discovered in other parts of the Galápagos, specifically on Wolf Volcano in the northern part of Isabela Island. Since then, C. niger and native Chelonoidis becki tortoise have produced genetically mixed individuals over a very short period (about 4-6 generations). This discovery has created the opportunity to repopulate Floreana Island with tortoises genetically similar to the historical inhabitants of the island.

Estimated Population: The 400 baby tortoises to be reintroduced to Floreana are currently located at the Galápagos National Park's Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Santa Cruz Island.

Ecological Importance: Giant tortoises play a vital role as ecosystem engineers.

Overview: Historically, the species Chelonoidis niger, a diurnal and terrestrial tortoise, was very common in the deciduous and perennial forests of the Galápagos Islands.

Diet: It feeds on cacti, bitter shrubs, and grass, obtaining water from cracks in lava rocks or springs.