Finch birds history

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes species known as siskins, canaries, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias.

Many birds in other families are also commonly called "finches". These groups include: the estrildid finches (Estrildidae) of the Old World tropics and Australia; some members of the Old World bunting family (Emberizidae) and the American sparrow family (Passerellidae); and the Darwin's finches of the Galapagos islands, now considered members of the tanager family (Thraupidae).^[1]

Finches and canaries were used in the UK, Canada and USA in the coal mining industry, to detect carbon monoxide from the eighteenth to twentieth century. This practice ceased in the UK in 1986.^[2]

Finches helped Charles Darwin understand the way that natural environments affect the evolution and adaptation of a species. Originally, Darwin did not discern that all the finches were the same species, as they looked different. Some adapted to have long, elegant beaks to be able to reach the fruits of a plant, while others have adapted to have strong, sturdy beaks in order to break nuts. This realization helped Darwin understand the effects of species in different ecosystems, leading to a stronger understanding of Darwinism.