The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (''Fringilla polatzeki'') is a species of

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

in the

finch The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where the ...

family Fringillidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

Gran Canaria Gran Canaria (, ; ), also Grand Canary Island, is the third-largest and second-most-populous island of the Canary Islands, a Spain, Spanish archipelago off the Atlantic coast of Northwest Africa. the island had a population of that constitut ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

Taxonomy

Until 2015, the species ''Fringilla teydea'' was classified with two

subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...

: ''Fringilla teydea polatzeki'' from Gran Canaria and ''Fringilla teydea teydea'' from Tenerife. However, a study published in March 2016 showed that a classification as different

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

, ''Fringilla polatzeki'' and ''Fringilla teydea'', is justified.George Sangster, Felipe Rodríguez Godoy, C. S. Roselaar, Magnus S. Robb y Jolanda A. Luksenbur
«Integrative taxonomy reveals Europe’s rarest songbird species, the Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch ''Fringilla polatzeki''.»
/ref>

Description

Gran Canaria blue chaffinches resemble

common chaffinch The Eurasian chaffinch, common chaffinch, or simply the chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs'') is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The fema ...

es, and are smaller in size than Tenerife blue chaffinches. Other differences are that they have two white bands in the wings, a whiter belly, or less blue shades. Females are a dull grey-brown. The species is named after the collector Johann Polatzek (1838–1927).

Distribution

This bird is found only in the highlands of Gran Canaria, mainly in the Inagua Natural Reserve. The species' primary habitat is mountain

Canary Island pine ''Pinus canariensis'', the Canary Island pine, is a species of gymnosperm in the conifer family Pinaceae. It is a large, evergreen tree, native and endemic to the outer Canary Islands of the Atlantic Ocean. Description ''Pinus canariensis'' is ...

(''Pinus canariensis'') forest in 1.000 m. It is most common in coniferous forest areas with dense, old trees.

Behavior

It primarily eats

seeds. Like the common chaffinch, but, unlike most other finches, its young are fed extensively on insects. Breeding from the end of April to late July or early August, it builds a nest from pine needles and

broom A broom (also known as a broomstick) is a cleaning tool, consisting of usually stiff fibers (often made of materials such as plastic, hair, or corn husks) attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a ...

branches and lays two eggs. This bird is not migratory. This bird breeding success is low with the cause of predation, mostly by the Great Spotted Woodpecker.

In danger of extinction

The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch is one of the most endangered species of birds on the planet.única
/ref> Unlike the Tenerife blue chaffinch, which has a much wider distribution and compared to that island's population of its species, the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch has an extremely small population and is restricted to the area of the pine forests of Ojeda, Inagua and Pajonales.

References

Iñigo, L., & E, G.-del-R. (n.d.). Gran Canaria Blue Chaffinch Fringilla polatzeki. Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (Fringilla polatzeki) - birdlife species factsheet. Retrieved March 19, 2023, from http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/gran-canaria-blue-chaffinch-fringilla-polatzeki/text

External links

Article: "The Blue Chaffinch of Gran Canaria ''Fringilla teydea polatzeki'': what next?"Documentary "El pinzón azul de Gran Canaria: biología y conservación del ave más amenazada de Canarias" (1995)Play list
{{Gran Canaria Gran Canaria blue chaffinch Birds of the Canary Islands Gran Canaria blue chaffinch Fauna of Gran Canaria Endemic birds of Spain