Bangladeshi Finches with their Evolutionary Thoughts (Aves: Passeriformes)

Authors: Kabir A

DOI: 10.23880/jeasc-16000142

Volume 6, Issue 1

Abstract

Finches are the group of evolutionary birds with numerous individuals in the world. Keen observation on their overall behaviour, dry- and wet-preserved museum specimens as well as very sharp online images helped to focus their evolutionary divergence especially on beak sizes and beak types. Out of 18 finches of Bangladesh, the members in the family Estrildidae (munias) showed the highest 6 (33.33%) then Emberizidae 5 (27.78%). All finches were sexually dimorphic except scalybreasted munia (Lonchura punctulata). Since, beaks of finches are conical (seed eating type) but due to different types of seeds in different places, their beaks are slightly modified. Beaks of weaver birds are also conical but for nesting ability their larger beaks help more to do this act. Except weaver bird (like mangrove finch of Galapagos Islands), other types of beaks in this group were somewhat (sharp-beaked, medium) Darwin’s ground finches. All finches exhibited least concern (LC) only yellow-breasted bunting was vulnerable (VU) perspective Bangladesh.

Keywords: Bangladeshi Finches; Bunting; Munia; Sparrow; Evolution; Hybridization; Beak Size; Speciation; Conservation; Galapagos Finches

View PDF