Dr. R and classmates:
I hope I may still respond to the Darwin's origin of species assignment.

The territory that offered the greatest level of variation of species would be the Warwick Archipelago. On each of the islands the changes were phenotypic in nature. The population from one island to the next was significant. The eating habits remained the same because the environment of each island provided lush habitat and rich resources.

There is a wide variety of changes in the bird population from the mainland variety to Windsor Island. At the time of the hurricane on the mainland there were 3 types of birds ranging from short to slightly longer beaks the further up the coastline.  The lush environment up the coast provided opportunity for adaption in the population. When the population blew into Windsor, the habitat provided no competition at all for the abundant resources. The environment provided more rainfall and with less competition for the available food supply of seeds, insects and the addition of flowers. The feather color, naturally reddish on the mainland, became more intense or vivid. The population was hearty and exhibited shorter beaks. Over four million years ago the finches arrived and competed for food supply. The pollenpeepers moved inland and added more insects to their diet, an environmental impact. Over the next million years the birds developed a longer and more-pointy beak better adapted to eating seeds and insects and perhaps the rich diet added to their brilliant color changes. One million years ago their beaks became shorter and blunter making it easier to find insects. Some birds adapt more readily to the change in diet, and many did not. Norcross Island provided further evolutionary changes displaying a long and downward curved beak and brilliant blue head plumage. Warwick Archipelago provides the largest diversity in population via colored plumage and population. As indicated in the text, if the island birds were to return to the mainland they would not automatically mate with the mainland birds due to these environmental and evolutionary changes. 

Debbie G.