NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -In other words, beaks changed as the birds developed different tastes for fruits, seeds, or insects picked from the ground or cacti. Long, pointed beaks made some of them more fit for picking seeds out of cactus fruits. Shorter, stouter beaks served best for eating seeds found on the ground.

Detailed explanation-2: -On the Galápagos, finches evolved based on different food sources-long, pointed beaks served well for snatching insects while broad, blunt beaks work best for cracking seeds and nuts.

Detailed explanation-3: -The food available on the different islands varied and the finches had to evolve beaks which could take advantage of the food supplies available to them. These birds, although nearly identical in all other ways to mainland finches, evolved different beaks. Their beaks adapted to the type of food that they ate.

Detailed explanation-4: -Evolution in Darwin’s finches is characterized by rapid adaptation to an unstable and challenging environment leading to ecological diversification and speciation. This has resulted in striking diversity in their phenotypes (for instance, beak types, body size, plumage, feeding behavior and song types).

Detailed explanation-5: -The sharp-beaked ground finch has evolved a beak which is small and sharp. This beak allows this finch to feed off the blood of other ‘larger’ birds such as masked boobies, red footed boobies and blue footed boobies. The sharp beaked finch will also jump on the back of other finches and suck their blood.