Question

Give an account of Darwin's finches.

Answer 1

Darwin studied the climate conditions, fauna and flora of Galapagos island, during his voyage around the world. These islands (a chain of $14$ islands in Pacific Ocean) are situated nearly $600$ miles away of the West coast of South America and have variable environmental conditions. Darwin called these islands as a living laboratory of evolution. He noticed nearly $20$ related varieties of small birds in these islands which differed mainly in the shape and size of their beak and in the colour of their plumage. These birds are now called Darwin's finches. He concluded that the American mainland species was the original one from which different forms migrated to the different islands of Galapagos and adapted to the different environmental conditions of these islands. These adapted forms are considered to be the new species. Thus, Darwin's finches provide a beautiful example of adaptive radiation supporting the concept of evolution.