Charles Darwin is known as the father of evolution. In 1831, when he was just 21 years old, Darwin set sail from England on a five-year voyage around the world. Darwin's job on the ship was to study the local flora and fauna (plants and wildlife) and collect samples and make observations he could take back to Europe.

One of the stops on the trip was at the Galapagos Islands where Darwin stayed for 5 weeks. He observed that the animals and plants on the Galapagos Islands were very similar, yet not identical, to the animals and plants on the South American mainland. One of the animals he studied was a small bird called the finch. He noticed that not only were the finches different from the ones in South America, but they were also slightly different from each other. Darwin observed the finches differed from each other mainly in the shape of their beaks and in the food they ate.

The beaks of the finches are adaptations to the different foods they eat and the way they obtain food. See if you can match the picture of the finch to its beak and feeding description.

Click on the image of the bird and the correct description for a match.

Answer the following question in your notes.

What would happen to the finches if all the cacti in a certain area died?

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The cactus finch would not have a food source and it would not survive. The finches that had adaptations for eating other types of food would survive, and they would live to pass on their traits to their offspring.