Passerida

Passerida
Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Infraorder:	Passerides
Parvorder:	Passerida
Superfamilies
see text and see text

Passerida are one of four parvorders contained within the infraorder Passerides.

Characteristics

Passerida are omnivorous birds found in East Africa and the Palearctic realm.^[1] They live in open areas with minimal trees such as Saharas and forest clearings. They are stocky birds between 12 cm (4.7 inches) and 18 cm (7.1 inches). The head and neck are a blackish-gray, and they have a very short beak.^[1]

Systematics and phylogeny

Mostly smallish herbivores, near-global distribution centered on Palearctic and Americas. Often pronounced sexual dimorphism with males among the most colorful birds alive. Songs tend to be fairly simple warbling and chirping, with many species relying as much or more on visual mating displays. Includes the nine-primaried oscines (probably a subclade). The basal radiation is mostly found in the Old World, with only Motacillidae naturally occurring in the Americas and Estrildidae in Australia.

The nine-primaried oscines unite most birds commonly called "sparrows" in North American and "finches" in European English, as well as a number of other mostly American groups. They are divided into the fringillid radiation which is largely restricted to the Old World, and the numerous emberizoid families of the Americas, of which in turn only Emberizidae and the Arctic circumpolar Calcariidae have reached the Old World unaided by humans. Besides these, the singular olive warbler from North to Central America apparently represents a very ancient "living fossil" passeroid; its relationships were long disputed as its outward appearance and ecology resemble Setophaga warblers, but its anatomy is in some aspects convergent or symplesiomorphic with sylvioids.

• Modulatricidae: robin-babblers
• Promeropidae: sugarbirds
• Nectariniidae: sunbirds
• Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
• Nine-primaried oscines
  • Chloropseidae: leafbirds
  • Irenidae: fairy bluebirds
  • Passeridae: true sparrows
  • Prunellidae: accentors
  • Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's finch. Recently split from Fringillidae; tentatively placed here.
  • Estrildidae: estrildid finches (waxbills, munias, etc.)
  • Ploceidae: weavers. Certain members of Ploceidae, such as the long-tailed widowbird are well known for their elaborate sexual ornaments.
  • Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs
  • Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits
  • Peucedramidae: olive warbler
  • Fringillidae: true finches. Includes the Hawaiian honeycreepers
  • Emberizoidea: New World nine-primaried oscine radiation^[2][3][4]
    • Icteridae: grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles
    • Parulidae: New World warblers
    • Icteriidae: yellow-breasted chat
    • Phaenicophilidae: Hispaniolan tanagers
    • Zeledoniidae: wrenthrush
    • Teretistridae: Cuban warblers
    • Thraupidae: tanagers and allies
    • Mitrospingidae: mitrospingid tanagers and allies
    • Rhodinocichlidae: rosy thrush tanager
    • Calyptophilidae: chat-tanagers
    • Nesospingidae: Puerto Rican tanager
    • Spindalidae: spindalises
    • Cardinalidae: cardinal-grosbeaks
    • Emberizidae: buntings
    • Passerellidae: American sparrows
    • Calcariidae: snow buntings and longspurs

See also

• List of birds

References

1. "Passeridae (Old World sparrows)". Animal Diversity Web. Retrieved 2025-09-03.
2. Barker, F. K.; Burns, K. J.; Klicka, J.; Lanyon, S. M.; Lovette, I. J. (2013). "Going to extremes: Contrasting rates of diversification in a recent radiation of New World passerine birds". Systematic Biology. 62 (2): 298–320. doi:10.1093/sysbio/sys094. PMID 23229025.
3. Barker, F. K.; Burns, K. J.; Klicka, J.; Lanyon, S. M.; Lovette, I. J. (2015). "New insights into New World biogeography: An integrated view from the phylogeny of blackbirds, cardinals, sparrows, tanagers, warblers, and allies". The Auk. 132 (2): 333–348. doi:10.1642/AUK-14-110.1. S2CID 53058340.
4. del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E., eds. (2019). "Passeriformes". Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. Retrieved 5 January 2019.

• Jønsson, Knud A.; Fjeldså, Jon (2006). "A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri)". Zool. Scripta. 35 (2): 149–186. doi:10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00221.x. S2CID 85317440.
• Harshman, John (2008). Passerida. Version 23 June 2008 (under construction). in The Tree of Life Web Project. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
• Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.