Citation
Remarks on a Group of Ground Finches from Mr. Darwin's Collection, with Characters of the New Species
TL;DR
Darwin's Galápagos birds were all finches, not separate families
The original paper where John Gould identified Darwin's Galápagos bird specimens as closely related finches rather than distinct families. Gould recognized that birds Darwin had classified as blackbirds, grosbeaks, and wrens were actually 'a series of ground Finches which are so peculiar [as to form] an entirely new group.'
This recognition was crucial for Darwin's development of evolutionary theory - it showed that dramatic morphological differences could arise within a single lineage.
Key Findings from Gould (1837)
- Darwin's Galápagos birds were all finches, not separate families
- Recognized them as forming an 'entirely new group'
- Identified the pattern that became central to adaptive radiation theory