|
More About Passerines - Other ...
|
A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. More than half of all species of bird are passerines. Sometimes known as perching birds or, less accurately, as songbirds, the passerines are one of the most spectacularly successful vertebrate orders: with around 5,400 species, they are roughly twice as diverse as the most successful of the mammal orders, the Rodentia.
The group gets its name from the Latin name for the House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
Many passerines are songbirds and have complex muscles to control their syrinx; all of them gape in the nest as infants to beg for food.
The order is divided into two suborders, Tyranni, and Passeri (oscines). 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). Most passerines are smaller than typical members of other avian orders.
The evolutionary history of and relationships among the passerine families remained rather mysterious until around the end of the 20th century. Many passerine families were grouped together on the basis of morphological similarities which, it is now known, are the result of convergent evolution, not a close genetic relationship. For example, the "wrens" of the northern hemisphere, of Australia, and of New Zealand all look very similar and behave in similar ways, and yet belong to three far-flung branches of the passerine family tree: they are as unrelated as it is possible to be while yet remaining Passeriformes.
Much research remains to be done, but a series of biochemical studies are gradually revealing a clearer picture of passerine origins and evolution. It is now thought that the early passerines evolved in Gondwana at about the time that the southern supercontinent was breaking up. This led to the Tyranni and, a little later, to a great radiation of forms in Australia-New Guinea (the Passeri or songbirds). A major branch of the passerine tree, the Passerida (or sparrow-like forms), emerged either as the sister group to another (the Corvida, or crow-like birds), or more likely as a subgroup of the Corvida, and reached the northern hemisphere, where there was a further explosive radiation of new species. Since then, there has been extensive mixing, with northern forms returning to the south, southern forms moving north, and so on.
|
|
Taxonmony
|
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family:
|
|
Source: Wikipedia Read more about Passerines - Other
|
|
|
INFO LINKS
|
Bohemian Waxwing
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Bohemian Waxwing Read More
|
Cedar Waxwing
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Cedar Waxwing Read More
|
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Black-tailed Gnatcatcher Read More
|
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Read More
|
California Gnatcatcher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about California Gnatcatcher Read More
|
European Starling
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about European Starling Read More
|
Bluethroat
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Bluethroat Read More
|
Northern Wheatear
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Northern Wheatear Read More
|
Veery
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Veery Read More
|
Cassin's Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Cassin's Kingbird Read More
|
Couch's Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Couch's Kingbird Read More
|
Eastern Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Eastern Kingbird Read More
|
Eastern Wood-Pewee
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Eastern Wood-Pewee Read More
|
Gray Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Gray Kingbird Read More
|
Great Kiskadee
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Great Kiskadee Read More
|
Greater Pewee
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Greater Pewee Read More
|
Rose-throated Becard
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Rose-throated Becard Read More
|
Thick-billed Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Thick-billed Kingbird Read More
|
Tropical Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Tropical Kingbird Read More
|
Western Kingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Western Kingbird Read More
|
Western Wood-Pewee
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Western Wood-Pewee Read More
|
Brown Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Brown Thrasher Read More
|
California Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about California Thrasher Read More
|
Crissal Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Crissal Thrasher Read More
|
Curve-billed Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Curve-billed Thrasher Read More
|
Le Conte's Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Le Conte's Thrasher Read More
|
Long-billed Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Long-billed Thrasher Read More
|
Northern Mockingbird
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Northern Mockingbird Read More
|
Sage Thrasher
eNature.com
Pictures, Sounds, and information about Sage Thrasher Read More
|
Wire-Tailed Manakin
Rainforest Conservation Fund
Brief Narrative and pictures of Wire-Tailed Manakin Read More
|
Leafbird
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Chloropseidae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
Broadbill
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Eurylaimidae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
Asity
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Philepittidae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
Gnateater
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Conopophagidae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
Tapaculo
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Rhinocryptidae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
Manakin
Bird Families of the World - Dan Roberson
Details about the Pipridae family including pictures and good print references Read More
|
|
