Vampire ground finch
Geospiza septentrionalis Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899
The vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis) is a species in the family Thraupidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh about 12.3 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Vulnerable.
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Quick facts about the vampire ground finch
- Weight
- 12.3 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- Not recorded
- Diet
- Omnivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- shrublandsrc for Habitat
- Young per litter or clutch
- Not recorded
- Lifestyle
- Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Sedentarysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Where does the vampire ground finch live?
Not recorded
What is the vampire ground finch?
The Vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis) or Vampire finch is a small bird native to the Galápagos Islands. A member of the Darwin's finches group, it is known for its unique parasitic behavior of feeding on the blood of other birds. It is endemic to Wolf and Darwin Island. The species was previously considered a very distinct subspecies of the sharp-beaked ground finch (Geospiza difficilis), but the International Ornithologists' Union has split the species based on strong genetic evidence that they are not closely related, and divergences in morphology and song.
From the Wikipedia article “Vampire ground finch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vampire_ground_finch&oldid=1385048423), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the vampire ground finch endangered?
The vampire ground finch is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species. What the categories mean.
How is the vampire ground finch classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyThraupidae
- genusGeospiza
- SpeciesGeospiza septentrionalis Rothschild & E. Hartert, 1899
Synonyms Geospiza difficilis septentrionalis, Geospiza scandens septentrionalis, Geospiza septentrionalis nigrescens
Other names and names in other languages (27)
- Vampire finchEnglish
- Vampire ground-finchEnglish
- شرشور مصاص الدماءArabic
- Darwin Island-darwinfinkeDanish
- VampirgrundfinkGerman
- vampira grundotangaroEsperanto
- Pinzón VampiroSpanish
- Pinzón de Darwin chupasangreSpanish
- VampyyrisirkkuFinnish
- Géospize vampireFrench
- vampirska darwinova zebaCroatian
- Fringuello vampiroItalian
- キュウケツコガラパゴスフィンチJapanese
- VampiergrondvinkDutch
- vampyrjordspurvNorwegian
- darwinka północnaPolish
- tentilhão-vampiroPortuguese
- galapaguito-vampiroPortuguese
- Галапагосский вьюрок-вампирRussian
- ostrovčan vampírskySlovak
- Vampir zebaSerbian
- vampyrtangaraSwedish
- vampyrdarwinfinkSwedish
- Vampir Yer İspinozuTurkish
- землянчик дарвінськийUkrainian
- 嗜血地雀Chinese
- 北加岛地雀Chinese
Relatives of the vampire ground finch
Other species in the same genus Geospiza.
Española cactus finch
Geospiza conirostris
Large ground finch
Geospiza magnirostris
Medium ground finch
Geospiza fortis
Small ground finch
Geospiza fuliginosa
Sharp-beaked ground finch
Geospiza difficilis
Common cactus finch
Geospiza scandens
CompareVampire ground finch vs Española cactus finchVampire ground finch vs Large ground finchVampire ground finch vs Medium ground finchVampire ground finch vs Small ground finch
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the vampire ground finch?
An adult vampire ground finch weighs 12.3 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Is the vampire ground finch endangered?
The vampire ground finch is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the vampire ground finch?
The vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis) belongs to the family Thraupidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/vampire-ground-finch
“Vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/vampire-ground-finch.
@misc{vampire_ground_finch_2026,
title = {Vampire ground finch (Geospiza septentrionalis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/vampire-ground-finch},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}