Nature 101: Finding the source of vampire flies threatening Darwin’s finches

Matthew Waller will present the story of how avian vampire flies threaten Darwin’s finches with extinction. Vampire flies are invasive to the Galapagos islands and have spread across the archipelago. 

They can be found infesting most species of endemic land birds including endangered species of Darwin’s finches. Unfortunately, Darwin’s finches are extremely vulnerable to vampire fly infestation and many young birds do not survive. However, some species such as Galapagos mockingbirds are less affected and are able to mitigate the damage caused by these parasitic flies. 

They will discuss the effects of avian vampire flies, how birds defend themselves, how we identify the source of flies, and what we can do to help conserve Darwin’s finches.