DAPHNE MAJOR

ISLAND

The large island, Daphne Major, is a near-perfect  cone with a deep crater that is favoured nesting site of colony of Blue-footed Boobies. On the flanks of the volcano you may find Nazca boobies, and on the cliff inside, nesting Red-tailed Tropicbirds. The sparse vegetation comprises mainly Opuntia Cacti and Dwarf Palo Santo, which is found only here and on Baltra and Seymoour islands. The ground finches on Daphne Major here have been studied for the last 40 years by a team led by Peter and Rosemary Grant, whose research has shed significant light on the process of evolution.