American vampire finch (SciiFii)

The American vampire finch (Geospiza vespertilio) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae and one of the Darwin's finches that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout the rainforests, wetlands, forests, open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, and scrublands across mainland North America and South America to help boost biodiversity. Like the other members of its genus, the American vampire finch is strongly sexually dimorphic; the female's plumage is grey with brown streaks, while male's is primarily black, with white tips to the undertail coverts. The bird measures 11.1 cm (4.4 inches) in length. The bill of this species is always quite sharp. The American vampire finch has a lilting and a buzzing song, as well as whistling calls, a drawn-out, buzzing call is also uttered. When alternative sources are scarce the American vampire finch occasionally feeds by drinking the blood of other birds, chiefly the gulls, crows, ravens, and pigeons of several species, pecking at their skin with their sharp beaks until blood is drawn. Curiously, the larger birds do not offer much resistance against this, yet this doesn't harm the larger birds much apart from some blood loss. The American vampire finches may feed on blood of mammals much larger than themselves, including humans, although this only occurs in areas where the food sources, including blood of larger birds, are scarce. The American vampire finches occasionally also feed on eggs, stealing them just after they are laid and rolling them (by pushing with their legs and using their beak as a pivot) into rocks until they break. The American vampire finch sometimes feeds on nectar of many wild and garden plants. Finally guano and leftover fish from other predators additionally serve as diet options. American vampire finches build display domed nests and use these to attract mates and for nesting. Male American vampire finches will sing close to their nest once it has been built, to attract female small tree finches. When these arrive, they inspect the display nest by entering it. Thereafter they will either choose to accept both the male and the display nest, accept the male but reject the nest (so they will then build a new nest together), or reject both the male and the display nest. The standard clutch is two or three brown-spotted white eggs. The conservation status of the American vampire finch is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American vampire finch's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii