Galapagos Wildlife
BIRDS
SEA BIRDS
Flightless Cormorant (Nannopetrum harrisi)
Another famous endemic seabird, the flightless cormorant, is found only on the westernmost islands of Fernandina and Isabela. These cormorants, the largest of the worlds 29 cormorant species, were originally a flying species, but the lack of predators or terrestrial food meant that big wings were a waste of energy. Those with webbed feet, powerful legs, and small wings survived birds that can't fly. To complicate matters, cormorants nave light bones, appropriate for flying but not for diving. Rather than resign themselves to the shallows of plankton and lesser seafood cuisine, cormorants swallow small stones that provide the extra humph needed to reach the deep, fish-filled waters.
Frigatebirds (Fregata minor)
The largest and most notable birds on the islands are the cleptoparasitic great and magnificent frigate birds. Males boast an inflatable red pouch below the beak during mating season—sure to catch the eye of any female. Crowning its attributes, a frigate's wingspan can reach 2.3m, giving it the largest wingspan-to-weight ratio of any existing bird. Mating occurs on San Cristobal and Genovesa from March to April and on North Seymour throughout the year.
Waved Albatross (Dimedea irrorata)
The waved albatross is endemic only to Española, where the world's 12,000 pairs nest from April to December before vacationing in the South Pacific. They are the largest birds in the archipelago, weighing over 4kg with a wingspan of 2.5m. The primary food sources of the Waved Albatross are fish, squid, and crustaceans. But they have also been observed to scavenge for other food sources, including the regurgitated food of other birds.
COASTAL BIRDS
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus rubber)
Flamingos are by far the rarest and most famous shore-birds; mere 500-600 specimens currently inhabit Floreana, Isabela, Rabida, Santiago, and Santa Cruz Islands. Flamingos feed mostly on algae, shrimps and other aquatic invertebrates. Dangling down their head, the down curved bill is then parallel with the bottom and swinging their heads side to side they suck in water and filter it through their specialized bill with the prey being traped inside.
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
This dark grey and somewhat sombre looking bird sits motionless on the lava rockpools around the seashore remaining alert and waiting for prey. The great blue heron fished for food during the day and at night. It stands in the water and waits for prey like frogs and fish to pass by and then it grabs them with its long bill. It also eats salamanders, lizards, snakes, shrimps, crabs, crayfish, dragonflies, grasshoppers, aquatic insects and occasionally birds and small mammals like mice. It is the only endemic heron in the Galapagos.
Lava Heron (Butoroides sundevalli)
The lava heron is unique to the Galapagos. It dark gray color blends with the color of lava.
The Lava Heron can be found blending in to the basalt background on many of the islands feeding on fish, crabs and lizards.
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