Passerine

Perching birds
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes
Families
Acanthisittidae  Aegithalidae  Alaudidae  Bombycillidae  Callaeatidae  Cardinalidae  Certhiidae  Cinclidae  Cisticolidae  Climacteridae  Conopophagidae  Corvidae (raven)  Eurylaimidae  Formicariidae  Fringillidae  Furnariidae  Hirundinidae  Hypocolidae  Irenidae  Laniidae (shrikes)  Maluridae  Melanocharitidae  Meliphagidae  Menuridae  Monarchidae  Muscicapidae  Nectariniidae  Orthonychidae  Pachycephalidae  Paramythiidae  Pardalotidae  Paridae  Passeridae  Petroicidae  Peucedramidae  Philepittidae  Picathartidae  Pittidae  Pomatostomidae  Ptilonorhynchidae  Pycnonotidae  Regulidae  Rhinocryptidae  Rhipiduridae  Sittidae  Sturnidae  Sylviidae  Thamnophilidae  Timaliidae  Tyrannidae  Vireonidae  Zosteropidae (Zosterops) Menurae  Atrichornithidae Tyranni  Cotingidae  Dendrocolapteridae  Phytotomidae  Pipridae  Xenicidae Oscines  Artamidae  Callaeidae  Campephagidae  Chamaeidae  Coerebidae  Cracticidae  Dicaeidae  Dicruridae  Drepanididae  Dulidae  Emberizidae  Estrildidae  Grallinidae  Icteridae  Mimidae  Motacillidae  Oriolidae  Paradisaeidae  Parulidae  Ploceidae  Prunellidae  Ptilogonatidae  Remizidae  Rhabdornithidae  Thraupidae  Trenidae  Troglodytidae  Turdidae (thrushes)  Vangidae

Perching birds (order Passeriformes) are the largest order of birds. Many of them are songbirds and have many muscles to control their syrinx; all of them gape in the nest as infants to beg for food.

The order is divided into four suborders, Eurylami, Menurae, Tyranni, and Oscines, one of the first three of which is also called Clamatores. Oscines have the most control of their syrinx muscles and are true songbirds (though some of them, such as the crow, do not sound like it).

Perching birds are also as passerines or song birds.

Most passerines are relatively small compared to typical members of other avian Orders.

The group gets its name from the Latin name for the House sparrow, Passer domesticus

See also list of birds

Reference

ITIS 178265
as of 2002-07-25