Why Some of Darwin's Finches Evolved to Become Vampire Finches KIYOKO GOTANDA, ET AL., THE CONVERSATION 16 JANUARY 2021 For most people, the word "vampire" brings to mind Dracula or perhaps slayers such as Blade or Buffy; or maybe even the vampire bats of South America. Few will think of a small and rather lovely bird – the finch.
But there are indeed "vampire finches" that feast on the blood of much larger birds, and they were introduced to the world in a fantastic segment of Perfect Planet, the new series narrated by David Attenborough for the BBC. For us, these finches needed no introduction as we have studied them closely.