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More About Passerines - Other ...
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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.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family:
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Passerines - Other
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VIDEO CLIPS
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Black-capped Donacobius
1.730MB MPG View Movie
Birds in Suriname
Black-capped Donacobius movie
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Dipper
0.700MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Dipper video clip
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Fieldfare
0.600MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Fieldfare video clip
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Goldcrest
0.580MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Goldcrest video clip
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Northern Wheatear
0.970MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Northern Wheatear video clip
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Red-Flanked Bluetail
0.770MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Red-Flanked Bluetail video clip
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Redwing
0.660MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Redwing video clip
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Thrush Nightingale
1.440MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Thrush Nightingale video clip
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Treecreeper
0.770MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Treecreeper video clip
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Waxwing
0.640MB MPG View Movie
Bird Population in Taivalkoski
Waxwing video clip
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Nightingale
0.220MB RM View Movie
Norsk Ornitologisk Forening
Nightingale perched
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Yellow-bellied Oxpecker
0.490MB MOV View Movie
Getty Images
Yellow-billed oxpeckers preening on back of rhino
If you don't see the relevant video below, please follow this link and search for 454-52 in the search screen.
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Rufous Hornero
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual walking on the grass. Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brazil.
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Rufous Hornero
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual feeding on the grass. Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brazil.
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Plain Xenops
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual on the nest. Manu Biosphere Reserve (Amazonia Lodge), Peru (ssp obsoletus).
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Wedge-billed Woodcreeper
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult in the nest. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (ssp rufigularis).
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Striped Woodcreeper
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual creeping up a tree. Junglaven, Río Venturi, Amazonas (ssp notatus).
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Narrow-billed Woodcreeper
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual creeping up a branch. Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brazil.
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Black-chinned Antbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A male. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (ssp occidentalis).
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Rufous-capped Antthrush
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (ssp colma).
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Andean Cock-of-the-rock
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A male making a display. Manu Biosphere Reserve (Amazonia Lodge), Peru (ssp aequatoralis).
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Andean Cock-of-the-rock
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A male making a display. Manu Biosphere Reserve (Amazonia Lodge), Peru (ssp aequatoralis).
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Black Manakin
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A male eating a beetle. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (Monotypic species).
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Yellow-crested Manakin
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual perched on a branch. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (Monotypic species).
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Yellow-crested Manakin
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual perched on a branch. Junglaven, Río Ventuari, Venezuela (Monotypic species).
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Cuban Pewee
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A bird perched on a hand-rail. Cuba (caribaeus).
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Tropical Kingbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A bird looking for prey. Explorama Lodges, Sucusari, Peru (ssp melancholichus).
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Grey Kingbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult perched on a branch. Cuba (ssp dominicensis).
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Grey Kingbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult on a telegraph wire, singing. Cuba (ssp dominicensis).
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Loggerhead Kingbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual perched on a branch and flying away. Cuba (ssp caudifasciatus).
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Masked Tityra
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
A male calling and flying away. Manu Biosphere Reserve, Amazonia Lodge, Peru (ssp fortis).
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Lesser Striped-Swallow
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult preening itself. Bioko.
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Firecrest
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult feeding on a flower. Madeira, Portugal (ssp madeirensis).
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Black-capped Donacobius
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An adult flicking its tail. Manu Biosphere Reserve (Amazonia Lodge), Peru (ssp nigrodorsalis).
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Chalk-browed Mockingbird
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual feeding. Pantanal de Mato Grosso, Brazil.
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Cuban Gnatcatcher
WMV View Movie
Internet Bird Collection
An individual moving in a bush. Near Trinidad, Cuba (Monotypic species).
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