Passerida are one of four parvorders contained within the infraorder Passerides.
Characteristics Passerida are omnivorous birds found in East Africa and the Palearctic realm. They live in open areas with minimal trees such as Saharas and forest clearings. They are stocky birds between and . The head and neck are a blackish-gray, and they have a very short beak.
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.
Passerida contains the following families: Modulatricidae: robin-babblers Promeropidae: sugarbirds Nectariniidae: sunbirds Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers Chloropseidae: leafbirds Irenidae: fairy bluebirds Passeridae: true sparrows Prunellidae: accentors Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's finch. Recently split from Fringillidae; tentatively placed here. Ploceoidea 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 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
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.