Sustained by the cool waters of the Humboldt and Cromwell currents, the world’s northernmost penguin species survives mainly on Fernandina and Isabela islands. There may be fewer than 2000 left.
Photo Credit: Alfie Photography/Shuttershock
2. Waved albatross
Phoebastria irrorata
This handsome bird breeds mainly on Espaiiola, and is critically endangered because its breeding range is so small. It has a wingspan exceeding 2m and may live for up to 40 years.
Photo Credit: Neil Burton
3. Flightless cormorant
Phalacrocorax harrisi
Largest member of its family and the only cormorant that doesn’t fly. It evolved here and is among the world’s rarest birds, with fewer than 2000 remaining.
Photo Credit: Alfie Photography/Shuttershock
4. Darwin’s finches
Studies of these small, dull-coloured birds show evolution in action. They’re famous for illustrating adaptive radiation: an array of similar species descended from a single ancestor.
Photo Credit: Ryan Bolton
5. Magnificent frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
This aerial pirate is widespread from Mexico to Ecuador but studies suggest the Galápagos population is genetically distinct.
Photo Credit: Don Mammoser
6. Red-footed booby
Sula sula
There are seven booby species wordlwide. The three found in the Galápagos archipelago— the red-footed, Nazca and blue-footed— pointedly demonstrate that not all boobies are created equal. Red-footed boobies, the only one of the Galápagos trio that nests in trees, are friendly but rather a loof.
Photo Credit: Graham Robertson/Australian Geographic
Straddling the equator, born of fire and shaped by the confluence of three ocean currents, the Galápagos archipelago has a unique place in the natural world. Here are our six favourite birds that call the Galápagos archipelago home.