Philatelic of Birds: Tristan's endemic Finches

22 August 2015

Tristan's endemic Finches

35p : Gough Finch (高夫島雀) ; 45p : Dunn's Finch (特島雀)
50p : Nightingale Island Finch (南丁格爾地雀) ; £1,50 : Wilkins's Finch (大嘴島雀)
Tristan da Cunha (2014)
6th August, 2014. Tristan da Cunha

Tristan’s finches traditionally were called buntings. The Gough Finch Rowettia goughhensis, was named after John Quiller Rowett, the sponsor of Shackleton’s last expedition, which called at Gough in mid-1922 after Shackleton’s death. Unfortunately, Gough Finches are now scarce on Gough Island, being largely confined to sheer coastal cliffs and high mountainous areas where they find some refuge from introduced House Mice. The mice prey on the finch’s chicks (and those of many seabird species), resulting in the finch being listed as Critically Endangered.

Tristan’s finches are equally prone to introduced predators. They once occurred at all three islands in the Tristan group, but died out on Tristan within 50 years of the island’s colonization in 1810. Fortunately, Inaccessible and Nightingale Island lack introduced mammals, and so still support healthy populations of finches.