Finch

Finch is an ambassador for the G'Fondo'Nah, and a close friend and confidant to Phyland Renwald, the ambassador for Earth. Finch's real name, in his native tongue, is too difficult for most people in the galaxy to pronounce (save perhaps the Trepedor, and a few other avianoid species like himself). So, to make up for this shortcoming, he was given several different nicknames, many of which came from the ambassadors of other races, and are typically names that they can pronounce, to better help them identify him when they are either greeting him, or speaking between themselves. The name "Finch", that he is so often known by in the books, was given to him by Ambassador Phyland, and is the one that has, much to his surprise, also been adopted by many of the other ambassadors.

Because of his position as ambassador, Finch enjoys a very high standing within his own people, as well as many special benefits, including ownership of his own personal starship, the Kavenu. While not much is known about Finch's family, it is revealed in the novel Dark Earth that he apparently does have a wife and children of his own, as it's discovered in later chapters of that book that he has a grandson, aptly named Fidget (a nickname given to him by Phyland, just like Finch's was), who is a high energy, fidgety, nervous young Fondo that Finch's nephew Tenwar has taken under his wing to train in the art of being an ambassador, in hopes that he might, some day, take his, and Finch's place in that duty.