Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Sorting Finch Species

Start Interactive
Montage of finch pictures from the interactive

Topic

  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Animal Behavior
  • Evolution
  • Speciation

Resource Type

  • Interactive Media
  • Click & Learn

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Saved By
50 Users
Share This
Embed

Code to embed this content

Close Modal
Copy to clipboard

Copy and paste this HTML into your webpage or LMS to embed a running copy of this interactive. Use the "View HTML Editor" option in your LMS to paste the HTML into a page.

Close Modal

Description

This interactive module allows students to explore concepts related to speciation by identifying which birds belong to one of two finch species.

The 13 species of finches that live in the Galápagos Islands evolved from a single common ancestor within the past 3 million years. Although these species may seem similar, they generally keep to themselves and don’t interbreed. This Click & Learn demonstrates how the finches discriminate between members of their own species and those of a closely related species based on song and appearance.

The accompanying worksheet guides students’ exploration.

The “Resource Google Folder” link directs to a Google Drive folder of resource documents in the Google Docs format. Not all downloadable documents for the resource may be available in this format. The Google Drive folder is set as “View Only”; to save a copy of a document in this folder to your Google Drive, open that document, then select File → “Make a copy.” These documents can be copied, modified, and distributed online following the Terms of Use listed in the “Details” section below, including crediting BioInteractive.  

Student Learning Targets

  • Sort finches into two different groups based on their appearances and songs. 
  • Explain why hybrids may not be as fit as their parent species.

Estimated Time

One to two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

beak, cactus finch, Daphne Major, Galápagos, Geospiza, ground finch, hybrid, reproductive isolation, sonogram, spectrogram

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Version History

Date Published 11.18.13
Date Updated 09.03.21

NGSS (2013)

HS-LS4-3, HS-LS4-5; SEP6, SEP7

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1.C, EVO-1.D, EVO-1.E, EVO-1.M, EVO-3.D, EVO-3.E, EVO-3.F; SP1, SP2

IB Biology (2016)

5.1 5.4, C.1

AP Environmental Science (2020)

Topic(s): 2.6, 2.7
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.H, SP2

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

3.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.2, ELA.WHST.9-12.9
MP2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC5; DP1

Materials

Resource Google Folder (link)
Student Worksheet (PDF) 103 KB

Related Science News

As endangered birds lose their songs, they can’t find mates
Ecuadorian hummingbirds chirp ultrasonic songs of seduction
A Group of Orca Outcasts Is Now Dominating an Entire Sea

Educator Tips

Hear how educators are using BioInteractive content in their teaching.
Educator in front of an image of a bird Play Video Next Slide Next Slide
/
1-Minute Tips

Sorting Finch Species

Cindy Gay describes using two BioInteractive resources to teach her students about evolution.
View Article
Previous Slide Next Slide
Close Modal

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Birds

Showing of
Screen shot of quiz screen
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for The Origin of Birds
Image from the activity
Data Points
Thermoregulation in Dinosaurs
Image from the interactive showing outlines of two elephants.
Click & Learn
How Animals Use Sound to Communicate
Image of a bird from the film
Short Films
Great Transitions: The Origin of Birds
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for The Beak of the Finch
Photo of a hawk from the video
Film Activities
Activity for The Origin of Birds
Photo of a bird fossil from the activity
Lessons
Living Dinosaurs: Fact or Fiction?
A montage of images from the activity
Lessons
How Did Dinosaurs Regulate Their Body Temperatures?
Graph from the activity
Data Points
Effects of Natural Selection on Finch Beak Size
Picture of a bird in flight
Scientists at Work
The Origin of Flight: What Use Is Half a Wing?
Image of a chicken skeleton from the interactive
Click & Learn
Comparative Anatomy of the Domestic Chicken
Photo of a finch
Short Films
The Origin of Species: The Beak of the Finch
Image of a beak of a finch
Film Activities
Activity for The Beak of the Finch
Image from the activity
Lessons
Evolution in Action: Data Analysis
Photo of a finch's head and beak
Labs & Demos
Beaks As Tools: Selective Advantage in Changing Environments
Photo of a finch
Card Activities
How Can We Explain Evolutionary Relationships among Species?

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Image of an anole from the activity
Phenomenal Images
The Lone Anole
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for The Beak of the Finch
Photo of a finch
Short Films
The Origin of Species: The Beak of the Finch
Image of a beak of a finch
Film Activities
Activity for The Beak of the Finch
Computer illustration of anoles from the video
Animations
Reproductive Isolation and Speciation in Lizards
Photos of four lizards taken from the interactive.
Virtual Labs
Lizard Evolution Virtual Lab
Image of an anole from the film.
Short Films
The Origin of Species: Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree
Image of a researcher holding a lizard
Film Activities
Activity for Lizards in an Evolutionary Tree
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Are You a Morning or an Evening Person?
Image from the video illustrating niche partitioning
Clips
Niche Partitioning
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility