Passerine

{{Short description|Perching birds of the order Passeriformes}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}} {{Use British English|date=July 2022}} {{Automatic taxobox | fossil_range = Eocene–Recent, {{fossil range|52.5|0}}{{period fossil range|Cenozoic|52.5|0}} | image = Passeriformes-01v01.jpg | image_caption = Clockwise from top right: Palestine sunbird (''Cinnyris osea''), blue jay (''Cyanocitta cristata''), house sparrow (''Passer domesticus''), great tit (''Parus major''), hooded crow (''Corvus cornix''), southern masked weaver (''Ploceus velatus'') | image2 = Male-Songbird-Indicates-Body-Size-with-Low-Pitched-Advertising-Songs-pone.0056717.s005.ogv | image2_caption = Song of a purple-crowned fairywren (''Malurus coronatus'') | taxon = Passeriformes | authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | diversity_link = #Taxonomic list of Passeriformes families | diversity = Roughly 140 families, 6,500 species | subdivision_ranks = Suborders | subdivision = * Acanthisitti * '''Eupasseres''' ** Tyranni ** Passeri and see text }}

A '''passerine''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|s|ə|r|aɪ|n}}) is any bird of the order '''Passeriformes''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|p|æ|s|ə|r|ᵻ|f|ɔr|m|iː|z}}; from Latin {{lang|la|passer}} 'sparrow' and {{lang|la|formis}} '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as '''perching birds''', passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their toes (three pointing forward and one back), which facilitates perching.

With more than 140 families and some 6,500 identified species,<ref name=ioc>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | year=2020 | title=Family Index | work=IOC World Bird List Version 10.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/classification/family-index/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | access-date=26 April 2020 }}</ref> Passeriformes is the largest order of birds and one of the most diverse clades of terrestrial vertebrates, representing 60% of birds.<ref name=ericson2003>{{cite journal |last1=Ericson |first1=Per G. P. |last2=Irestedt |first2=Martin |last3=Johansson |first3=Ulf S. |title=Evolution, biogeography, and patterns of diversification in passerine birds |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |date=March 2003 |volume=34 |issue=1 |pages=3–15 |doi=10.1034/j.1600-048X.2003.03121.x }}</ref><ref name=selvatti2015>{{cite journal |last1=Selvatti |first1=Alexandre Pedro |last2=Gonzaga |first2=Luiz Pedreira |last3=Russo |first3=Claudia Augusta de Moraes |title=A Paleogene origin for crown passerines and the diversification of the Oscines in the New World |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=July 2015 |volume=88 |pages=1–15 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2015.03.018 |pmid=25837731 }}</ref> Passerines are divided into three suborders: New Zealand wrens; Suboscines, primarily found in North and South America<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ahmad |first1=Shahid |last2=Wanghe |first2=Kunyuan |last3=Jialing |first3=Li |last4=Gonzalez |first4=Enrique Blanco |last5=Syms |first5=Craig |last6=Strelnikov |first6=Ivan Igorevich |last7=Bosso |first7=Luciano |last8=Mao |first8=Wei |title=Climate-Driven Morphological Variation in Passerine Birds |journal=Global Ecology and Biogeography |date=November 2025 |volume=34 |issue=11 |article-number=e70164 |doi=10.1111/geb.70164 |bibcode=2025GloEB..3470164A |doi-access=free }}</ref>; and songbirds.<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1098/rspb.2001.1883|title = A phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds: Taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data|journal = Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume = 269|issue = 1488|pages = 295–308|year = 2002|last1 = Barker|first1 = F. Keith|last2 = Barrowclough|first2 = George F.|last3 = Groth|first3 = Jeff G.| pmid=11839199 |pmc = 1690884}}</ref><ref name="ericson2002"/> Passerines originated in the Southern Hemisphere around 60 million years ago.<ref name=ClaramuntCracraft2015>{{cite journal |last1=Claramunt |first1=S. |last2=Cracraft |first2=J. |title=A new time tree reveals Earth history's imprint on the evolution of modern birds |journal=Science Advances |date=2015 |volume=1 |issue=11 |article-number=e1501005 |doi=10.1126/sciadv.1501005 |pmc=4730849 |pmid=26824065|bibcode=2015SciA....1E1005C }}</ref>

Most passerines are insectivorous or omnivorous, and eat both insects and fruit or seeds.

==Etymology== The terms "passerine" and "Passeriformes" are derived from the scientific name of the house sparrow, ''Passer domesticus'', whose genus is the Latin word for sparrow.<ref name="OED1">{{Cite OED|Passeres|7976437393}}</ref> Formerly this meant the songbirds of Europe; now it also includes perching, non-singing birds from the Americas.<ref name="OED2">{{Cite OED|passerine|1126581583}}</ref>

==Description== The order is divided into three primary clades: the suborder Tyranni (non-singing, Americas), the suborder Passeri (songbirds or oscines), and the family Acanthisittidae (New Zealand wrens, sometimes considered to constitute a suborder, Acanthisitti).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Rise of Birds: 225 Million Years of Evolution|last=Chatterjee|first=Sankar|publisher=JHU Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4214-1590-1|pages=206–207}}</ref> Modern molecular evidence indicates that the New Zealand wrens are sister to the remaining two clades.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oliveros |first=Carl H. |last2=Field |first2=Daniel J. |last3=Ksepka |first3=Daniel T. |last4=Barker |first4=F. Keith |last5=Aleixo |first5=Alexandre |last6=Andersen |first6=Michael J. |last7=Alström |first7=Per |last8=Benz |first8=Brett W. |last9=Braun |first9=Edward L. |last10=Braun |first10=Michael J. |last11=Bravo |first11=Gustavo A. |last12=Brumfield |first12=Robb T. |last13=Chesser |first13=R. Terry |last14=Claramunt |first14=Santiago |last15=Cracraft |first15=Joel |date=2019-04-16 |title=Earth history and the passerine superradiation |url=https://pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1813206116 |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=116 |issue=16 |pages=7916–7925 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1813206116 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=6475423 |pmid=30936315}}</ref>

Oscines have the best control of their syrinx muscles among birds, producing a wide range of songs and other vocalizations, though some of them, such as the crows, do not sound musical to human beings. Some, such as the lyrebird, are accomplished mimics.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Winkler |first1=David W. |last2=Billerman |first2=Shawn M. |last3=Lovette |first3=Irby J. |editor-first1=Shawn M. |editor-first2=Brooke K. |editor-first3=Paul G. |editor-first4=Thomas S. |editor-last1=Billerman |editor-last2=Keeney |editor-last3=Rodewald |editor-last4=Schulenberg |title=Lyrebirds (Menuridae) |journal=Birds of the World |date=4 March 2020 |doi=10.2173/bow.menuri1.01 }}</ref> The New Zealand wrens are tiny birds restricted to New Zealand, at least in modern times; they were long placed in Passeri. thumb|right|Pterylosis or the feather tracts in a typical passerine

Most passerines are smaller than typical members of other avian orders. The heaviest and altogether largest passerines are the thick-billed raven<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Madge |first1=Steve |editor-first1=Josep |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-first3=Jordi |editor-first4=David |editor-first5=Eduardo |editor-last1=Del Hoyo |editor-last2=Elliott |editor-last3=Sargatal |editor-last4=Christie |editor-last5=De Juana |title=Thick-billed Raven (Corvus crassirostris) |journal=Birds of the World |date=4 March 2020 |doi=10.2173/bow.thbrav1.01 }}</ref> and the larger races of common raven, each exceeding {{convert|1.5|kg|abbr=on}} and {{convert|70|cm|in|abbr=on}}. The superb lyrebird and some birds-of-paradise, due to very long tails or tail coverts, are longer overall. The smallest passerine is the short-tailed pygmy tyrant, at {{convert|6.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} and {{convert|4.2|g|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Clock |first1=Benjamin |editor-first1=Josep |editor-first2=Andrew |editor-first3=Jordi |editor-first4=David |editor-first5=Eduardo |editor-last1=Del Hoyo |editor-last2=Elliott |editor-last3=Sargatal |editor-last4=Christie |editor-last5=De Juana |title=Short-tailed Pygmy-Tyrant (Myiornis ecaudatus) |journal=Birds of the World |date=4 March 2020 |doi=10.2173/bow.stptyr1.01 }}</ref>

==Anatomy== The foot of a passerine has three toes directed forward and one toe directed backward, called anisodactyl arrangement. The hind toe (hallux) is long and joins the leg at approximately the same level as the front toes. This arrangement enables passerine birds to easily perch upright on branches. The toes have no webbing or joining, but in some cotingas, the second and third toes are united at their basal third.

The leg of passerine birds contains an additional special adaptation for perching. A tendon in the rear of the leg running from the underside of the toes to the muscle behind the tibiotarsus will automatically be pulled and tighten when the leg bends, causing the foot to curl and become stiff when the bird lands on a branch. This enables passerines to sleep while perching without falling off.<ref>{{cite book|last =Stefoff|first = Rebecca |date =2008|isbn = 978-0-7614-2693-6|title = The Bird Class |publisher = Marshall Cavendish Benchmark}}</ref><ref>Brooke, Michael and Birkhead, Tim (1991) ''The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Ornithology'', Cambridge University Press {{ISBN|0521362059}}.</ref>

Most passerine birds have 12 tail feathers but the superb lyrebird has 16,<ref>Jones, D. (2008) "Flight of fancy". ''Australian Geographic'', (89), 18–19.</ref> and several spinetails in the family Furnariidae have 10, 8, or even 6, as is the case of Des Murs's wiretail. Species adapted to tree trunk climbing such as treecreepers and woodcreeper have stiff tail feathers that are used as props during climbing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Claramunt |first1=Santiago |last2=Derryberry |first2=Elizabeth P. |last3=Brumfield |first3=Robb T. |last4=Remsen |first4=J. V. |title=Ecological Opportunity and Diversification in a Continental Radiation of Birds: Climbing Adaptations and Cladogenesis in the Furnariidae |journal=The American Naturalist |date=May 2012 |volume=179 |issue=5 |pages=649–666 |doi=10.1086/664998 |pmid=22504546 |bibcode=2012ANat..179..649C }}</ref> Extremely long tails used as sexual ornaments are shown by species in different families. A well-known example is the long-tailed widowbird.

==Eggs and nests== {{see also|List of brood parasitic passerines}} The chicks of passerines are altricial: blind, featherless, and helpless when hatched from their eggs. Hence, the chicks require extensive parental care. Most passerines lay colored eggs, in contrast with nonpasserines, most of whose eggs are white except in some ground-nesting groups such as Charadriiformes and nightjars, where camouflage is necessary, and in some parasitic cuckoos, which match the passerine host's egg. The vinous-throated parrotbill has two egg colors, white and blue, to deter the brood parasitic common cuckoo.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lee |first1=Jin-Won |last2=Yoo |first2=Jeong-chil |year=2004 |title=Effect of host egg color dimorphism on interactions between the vinous-throated parrotbill (''Paradoxornis webbianus'') and common cuckoo (''Cuculus canorus'') |journal=Korean Journal of Biological Sciences |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=77–80 |doi=10.1080/12265071.2004.9647737}}</ref>

Clutches vary considerably in size: some larger passerines of Australia such as lyrebirds and scrub-robins lay only a single egg, most smaller passerines in warmer climates lay between two and five, while in the higher latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, hole-nesting species like tits can lay up to a dozen and other species around five or six. The family Viduidae do not build their own nests, instead, they lay eggs in other birds' nests.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

The Passeriformes contain several groups of brood parasites such as the viduas, cuckoo-finches, and the cowbirds.

Bird nest construction is complex and cognitively demanding, and has a very high degree of diversification amongst Passeriformes.<ref name="brain">{{cite journal |last1=Leite |first1=Abraão B. |last2=Camacho |first2=Agustín |last3=Francisco |first3= Mercival R.|date=2024 |title=Nest attachment, rather than nest type, correlates with passerine bird brain size |journal=Ibis |volume= 166|issue=3 |pages= 814–825|doi=10.1111/ibi.13292 }}</ref> A study of brain size and nest construction across a large number of different passerine species indicated that building nests with different attachment modes requires different levels of cognitive abilities.<ref name="brain"/>

==Origin and evolution== The evolutionary history of the passerine families and the relationships among them remained rather mysterious until the late 20th century. In many cases, passerine families were grouped together on the basis of morphological similarities that, it is now believed, are the result of convergent evolution, not a close genetic relationship. For example, the wrens of the Americas and Eurasia, those of Australia, and those of New Zealand look superficially similar and behave in similar ways, yet belong to three far-flung branches of the passerine family tree; they are as unrelated as it is possible to be while remaining Passeriformes.{{efn|The name wren has been applied to other, unrelated birds in Australia and New Zealand. The 27 Australasian "wren" species in the family Maluridae are unrelated, as are the New Zealand wrens in the family Acanthisittidae; the antwrens in the family Thamnophilidae; and the wren-babblers of the families Timaliidae, Pellorneidae, and Pnoepygidae. For the monophyly of the "true wrens", Troglodytidae, see Barker 2004.<ref name=barker04>{{cite journal | last=Barker | first=F.K. | date=2004 | title=Monophyly and relationships of wrens (Aves: Troglodytidae): a congruence analysis of heterogeneous mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequence data |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=31 |issue=2 | pages=486–504 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2003.08.005 | pmid=15062790| bibcode=2004MolPE..31..486B }}</ref> }}

Advances in molecular biology and improved paleobiogeographical data gradually are revealing a clearer picture of passerine origins and evolution that reconciles molecular affinities, the constraints of morphology, and the specifics of the fossil record.<ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2004.00118.x|title=The evolutionary radiation of modern birds (Neornithes): Reconciling molecules, morphology and the fossil record|date=June 2004|last1=Dyke|first1=Gareth J.|last2=Van Tuinen|first2=Marcel|journal=Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society|volume=141|issue=2|pages=153–177|doi-access=free|url=https://zenodo.org/record/5429708}}</ref> The first passerines are now thought to have evolved in the Southern Hemisphere in the late Paleocene or early Eocene, around 50 million years ago.<ref name="ericson2002">{{cite journal|pmc=1690883|pmid=11839192|date=7 February 2002|last1=Ericson|first1=P.G.|last2=Christidis|first2=L.|last3=Cooper|first3=A.|last4=Irestedt|first4=M.|last5=Jackson|first5=J.|last6=Johansson|first6=U.S.|last7=Norman|first7=J.A.|title=A Gondwanan origin of passerine birds supported by DNA sequences of the endemic New Zealand wrens|volume=269|issue=1488|pages=235–241|doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1877|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B}}</ref><ref name=ClaramuntCracraft2015/>

The initial diversification of passerines coincides with the separation of the southern continents in the early Eocene. The New Zealand wrens are the first to become isolated in Zealandia, and the second split involved the origin of the Tyranni in South America and the Passeri in the Australian continent.<ref name=ericson2003/><ref name=ClaramuntCracraft2015/><ref name=selvatti2015/> The Passeri experienced a great radiation of forms in Australia. A major branch of the Passeri, the parvorder Passerida, dispersed into Eurasia and Africa about 40 million years ago, where they experienced further radiation of new lineages.<ref name=ClaramuntCracraft2015/> This eventually led to three major Passerida lineages comprising about 4,000 species, which in addition to the Corvida and numerous minor lineages make up songbird diversity today. Extensive biogeographical mixing happens, with northern forms returning to the south, southern forms moving north, and so on.<ref name=selvatti2015/>

===Fossil record=== ====Earliest passerines==== [[File:Superb lyrbird in scrub.jpg|thumb|Male superb lyrebird (''Menura novaehollandiae''): This unique songbird shows strong sexual dimorphism, with a peculiarly apomorphic display of plumage in males.]] Perching bird osteology, especially of the limb bones, is rather diagnostic.<ref name=boles97>{{cite journal |last1=Boles |first1=Walter E. |title=Fossil Songbirds (Passeriformes) from the Early Eocene of Australia |journal=Emu - Austral Ornithology |date=March 1997 |volume=97 |issue=1 |pages=43–50 |doi=10.1071/MU97004 |bibcode=1997EmuAO..97...43B }}</ref><ref name=manegold04>{{cite journal |last1=Manegold |first1=Albrecht |last2=Mayr |first2=Gerald |last3=Mourer-Chauviré |first3=Cécile |title=Miocene Songbirds and the Composition of the European Passeriform Avifauna |journal=The Auk |date=2004 |volume=121 |issue=4 |pages=1155 |doi=10.1642/0004-8038(2004)121[1155:MSATCO]2.0.CO;2 |doi-access=free }} </ref><ref name=mayr06/> However, the early fossil record is poor because passerines are relatively small, and their delicate bones do not preserve well. Queensland Museum specimens F20688 (carpometacarpus) and F24685 (tibiotarsus) from Murgon, Queensland, are fossil bone fragments initially assigned to Passeriformes.<ref name=boles97/> However, the material is too fragmentary and their affinities have been questioned.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mayr |first1=G |title=The age of the crown group of passerine birds and its evolutionary significance–molecular calibrations versus the fossil record |journal=Systematics and Biodiversity |date=2013 |volume=11 |issue=1 |pages=7–13 |doi=10.1080/14772000.2013.765521 |bibcode=2013SyBio..11....7M }}</ref> Several more recent fossils from the Oligocene of Europe, such as ''Wieslochia'', ''Jamna'', ''Resoviaornis,'' and ''Crosnoornis'',<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bochenski |first1=Zbigniew M. |last2=Tomek |first2=Teresa |last3=Bujoczek |first3=Małgorzata |last4=Salwa |first4=Grzegorz |title=A new passeriform (Aves: Passeriformes) from the early Oligocene of Poland sheds light on the beginnings of Suboscines |journal=Journal of Ornithology |date=April 2021 |volume=162 |issue=2 |pages=593–604 |doi=10.1007/s10336-021-01858-0 |doi-access=free }}</ref> are more complete and definitely represent early passeriforms, and have been found to belong to a variety of modern and extinct lineages.<ref name=":0">{{cite journal |last1=Lowi-Merri |first1=Talia M. |last2=Gjevori |first2=Martina |last3=Bochenski |first3=Zbigniew M. |last4=Wertz |first4=Krzysztof |last5=Claramunt |first5=Santiago |title=Total-evidence dating and the phylogenetic affinities of early fossil passerines |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |date=31 December 2024 |volume=22 |issue=1 |article-number=2356086 |doi=10.1080/14772019.2024.2356086 |bibcode=2024JSPal..2256086L }}</ref>

From the Bathans Formation at the Manuherikia River in Otago, New Zealand, MNZ S42815 (a distal right tarsometatarsus of a tui-sized bird) and several bones of at least one species of saddleback-sized bird have recently been described. These date from the Early to Middle Miocene ([https://books.google.com/books?id=gto4AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA584 Awamoan] to Lillburnian, 19–16 mya).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Worthy |first1=T. H. |last2=Tennyson |first2=A. J. D. |last3=Jones |first3=C. |last4=McNamara |first4=J. A. |last5=Douglas |first5=B. J. |title=Miocene waterfowl and other birds from central Otago, New Zealand |journal=Journal of Systematic Palaeontology |date=January 2007 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=1–39 |doi=10.1017/S1477201906001957 |bibcode=2007JSPal...5....1W |author1-link=Trevor H. Worthy |hdl=2440/43360 |hdl-access=free }}</ref>

====Early European passerines==== [[File:Wieslochia.jpg|thumb|upright|''Wieslochia'' fossil]]

In Europe, perching birds are not too uncommon in the fossil record from the Oligocene onward, belonging to several lineages: * ''Wieslochia'' (Early Oligocene of Frauenweiler, Germany) – suboscine<ref name=":0" /> * ''Resoviaornis'' (Early Oligocene of Wola Rafałowska, Poland) – oscine<ref name=":0" /> * ''Jamna'' (Early Oligocene of Jamna Dolna, Poland) – basal<ref name=":0" /> * ''Winnicavis'' (Early Oligocene of Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland) * ''Crosnoornis'' (Early Oligocene of Poland) - suboscine<ref name=":0" /> * Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Early Oligocene of Luberon, France) – suboscine<ref name=":0" /> or basal{{efn|Specimen SMF Av 504. A flattened right hand of a passerine perhaps 10 cm long overall. If suboscine, perhaps closer to Cotingidae than to Eurylaimides.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Roux|first=T.|year=2002|title=Deux fossiles d'oiseaux de l'Oligocène inférieur du Luberon|trans-title=Two bird fossils from the Lower Oligocene of Luberon|journal=Courrier Scientifique du Parc Naturel Régional du Luberon|volume=6|pages=38–57 |url=https://www.parcduluberon.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cs_N_6_paleontologie_Roux.pdf }}</ref><ref name=mayr06/> }} * Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Late Oligocene of France) – several suboscine and oscine taxa<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hugueney |first1=Marguerite |last2=Berthet |first2=Didier |last3=Bodergat |first3=Anne-Marie |last4=Escuillié |first4=François |last5=Mourer-Chauviré |first5=Cécile |last6=Wattinne |first6=Aurélia |title=La limite Oligocène-Miocène en Limagne : changements fauniques chez les mammifères, oiseaux et ostracodes des différents niveaux de Billy-Créchy (Allier, France) |trans-title=The Oligocene-Miocene boundary in Limagne: faunal changes in the mammals, birds and ostracods from the different levels of Billy-Créchy (Allier, France) |language=fr |journal=Geobios |date=November 2003 |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=719–731 |doi=10.1016/j.geobios.2003.01.002 |bibcode=2003Geobi..36..719H }}</ref><ref name=mayr06>{{cite journal|last1=Mayr | first1=Gerald | last2=Manegold | first2=Albrecht |name-list-style=amp |year=2006|title= A Small Suboscine-like Passeriform Bird from the Early Oligocene of France|journal=Condor |volume=108|issue=3|pages= 717–720|doi=10.1650/0010-5422(2006)108[717:ASSPBF]2.0.CO;2 | doi-access=free }}</ref> * Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Middle Miocene of France and Germany) – basal?{{efn|Specimens SMF Av 487–496; SMNS 86822, 86825-86826; MNHN SA 1259–1263: tibiotarsus remains of small, possibly basal Passeriformes.<ref name=manegold04/>}} * Passeriformes gen. et spp. indet. (Sajóvölgyi Middle Miocene of Mátraszőlős, Hungary) – at least 2 taxa, possibly 3; at least one probably Oscines.{{efn|A partial coracoid of a probable Muscicapoidea, possibly Turdidae; distal tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus of a smallish to mid-sized passerine that may be the same as the preceding; proximal ulna and tarsometatarsus of a Paridae-sized passerine.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Gál, Erika |author2=Hír, János |author3=Kessler, Eugén |author4=Kókay, József |name-list-style=amp |year=1998–99 |title=Középsõ-miocén õsmaradványok, a Mátraszõlõs, Rákóczi-kápolna alatti útbevágásból. I. A Mátraszõlõs 1. lelõhely |trans-title=Middle Miocene fossils from the sections at the Rákóczi chapel at Mátraszőlős. Locality Mátraszõlõs I. |journal=Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis |volume=23 |pages=33–78 }}</ref><ref> {{cite journal |author1=Gál, Erika |author2=Hír, János |author3=Kessler, Eugén |author4=Kókay, József |author5=Márton, Venczel |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Középsõ-miocén õsmaradványok a Mátraszõlõs, Rákóczi-kápolna alatti útbevágásból II. A Mátraszõlõs 2. lelõhely |trans-title=Middle Miocene fossils from the section of the road at the Rákóczi Chapel, Mátraszõlõs. II. Locality Mátraszõlõs 2 |journal=Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis |volume=24 |pages=39–75 }}</ref> }} * Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Middle Miocene of Felsőtárkány, Hungary) – oscine?{{efn|A humerus diaphysis piece of a swallow-sized passerine.<ref name=hir01>{{cite journal |last1=Hír | first1=János | last2=Kókay | first2=József | last3=Venczel | first3=Márton |last4=Gál | first4=Erika |last5=GKessler |first5=Eugén |name-list-style=amp |year=2001 |title=Elõzetes beszámoló a felsõtárkányi "Güdör-kert" n. õslénytani lelõhelykomplex újravizsgálatáról |trans-title=A preliminary report on the revised investigation of the paleontological locality-complex "Güdör-kert" at Felsõtárkány, Northern Hungary |journal=Folia Historico Naturalia Musei Matraensis |volume=25 |pages=41–64 | url=http://adatbank.transindex.ro/vendeg/htmlk/pdf6928.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316054055/http://adatbank.transindex.ro/vendeg/htmlk/pdf6928.pdf |archive-date=2021-03-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> }} * Passeriformes gen. et sp. indet. (Late Miocene of Polgárdi, Hungary) – Sylvioidea (Sylviidae? Cettiidae?)<ref name=hir01/> That suboscines expanded much beyond their region of origin is proven by several fossils from Germany such as a presumed broadbill (Eurylaimidae) humerus fragment from the Early Miocene (roughly 20 mya) of Wintershof, Germany, the Late Oligocene carpometacarpus from France listed above, and ''Wieslochia'', among others.<ref name=manegold04/><ref name="ClaramuntCracraft2015"/> Extant Passeri super-families were quite distinct by that time and are known since about 12–13 mya when modern genera were present in the corvoidean and basal songbirds. The modern diversity of Passerida genera is known mostly from the Late Miocene onward and into the Pliocene (about 10–2 mya). Pleistocene and early Holocene lagerstätten (<1.8 mya) yield numerous extant species, and many yield almost nothing but extant species or their chronospecies and paleosubspecies.

====American fossils==== {{See also|Late Quaternary prehistoric birds}} In the Americas, the fossil record is more scant before the Pleistocene, from which several still-existing families are documented. Apart from the indeterminable MACN-SC-1411 (Pinturas Early/Middle Miocene of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina),{{efn|Distal right humerus, possibly suboscine.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Noriega |first1=Jorge I. |last2=Chiappe |first2=Luis M. |year=1991 |title= El más antiguo Passeriformes de America del Sur. Presentation at VIII Journadas Argentinas de Paleontologia de Vertebrados |trans-title=The most ancient passerine from South America |journal=Ameghiniana |volume=28 |issue=3–4 |page=410 |url={{GBurl|hqDVeF8W8OkC|p=410}} }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chiappe |first1=Luis M. |title=An Early Miocene Passeriform from Argentina |journal=The Auk |date=October 1993 |volume=110 |issue=4 |pages=936–938 |doi=10.2307/4088653 |jstor=4088653 |bibcode=1993Auk...110..936C }}</ref>}} an extinct lineage of perching birds has been described from the Late Miocene of California, United States: the Palaeoscinidae with the single genus ''Palaeoscinis''. ''"Palaeostruthus" eurius'' (Pliocene of Florida) probably belongs to an extant family, most likely passeroidean.

==Systematics and taxonomy== {{Cladogram |caption=Phylogenetic relationship of the suborders within the Passeriformes. The numbers are from the list published by the International Ornithologists' Union in January 2020.<ref name=ioc/><ref name=oliveros/> |align=right |cladogram={{Clade| style=font-size:90%;line-height:80%;width:420px; |1={{clade |1=Acanthisitti – New Zealand wrens (1 family containing 7 species, only 2 extant) |2={{clade |1=Tyranni – suboscines (16 families containing 1,356 species) |2=Passeri – oscines (125 families containing 5,158 species) }} }} }} }} The Passeriformes is currently divided into three suborders: Acanthisitti (New Zealand wrens), Tyranni, (suboscines) and Passeri (oscines or songbirds). The Passeri is now subdivided into two major groups recognized now as Corvides and Passerida respectively containing the large superfamilies Corvoidea and Meliphagoidea, as well as minor lineages, and the superfamilies Sylvioidea, Muscicapoidea, and Passeroidea but this arrangement has been found to be oversimplified. Since the mid-2000s, studies have investigated the phylogeny of the Passeriformes and found that many families from Australasia traditionally included in the Corvoidea actually represent more basal lineages within oscines. Likewise, the traditional three-superfamily arrangement within the Passeri has turned out to be far more complex and will require changes in classification.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

Major "wastebin" families such as the Old World warblers and Old World babblers have turned out to be paraphyletic and are being rearranged. Several taxa turned out to represent highly distinct lineages, so new families had to be established, some of these – like the stitchbird of New Zealand and the Eurasian bearded reedling – monotypic with only one living species.<ref>The former does not even have recognized subspecies, while the latter is one of the most singular birds alive today. Good photos of a bearded reedling are for example [http://montereybay.com/creagrus/Reedling_bearded-WEH.jpg here] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016043808/http://montereybay.com/creagrus/Reedling_bearded-WEH.jpg |date=16 October 2007 }} and [http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/mraz/bearded-reedling-05a04012.jpg here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731170412/http://www.naturephoto-cz.com/photos/mraz/bearded-reedling-05a04012.jpg |date=31 July 2008 }}.</ref> In the Passeri alone, a number of minor lineages will eventually be recognized as distinct superfamilies. For example, the kinglets constitute a single genus with less than 10 species today but seem to have been among the first perching bird lineages to diverge as the group spread across Eurasia. No particularly close relatives of theirs have been found among comprehensive studies of the living Passeri, though they might be fairly close to some little-studied tropical Asian groups. Nuthatches, wrens, and their closest relatives are currently grouped in a distinct super-family Certhioidea. <!-- Regarding references: to avoid cluttering an article that is to appeal the casual reader and the informed layperson, it would be good to cite only sources for splits, not arguments for or against placing taxa incertae sedis here or there. Also, there will be loads and loads of comprehensive reviews out soon one would expect, and it would pay to wait rather than citing the entire list from the talk page.

Discussing the possible affinities of disputed taxa should go to their respective page, and the studies used to date can be cited more appropriately in the suborder and super-family articles that in any case are more of interest to the specialist reader and can well reflect this. -->

==Taxonomic list of Passeriformes families== [[File:Rock wren.jpg|thumb|New Zealand rock wren (''Xenicus gilviventris''), one of the two surviving species of suborder Acanthisitti]]

This list is in taxonomic order, placing related families next to one another. The families listed are those recognised by the International Ornithologists' Union (IOC).<ref name=ioc/> The order and the division into infraorders, parvorders, and superfamilies follows the phylogenetic analysis published by Carl Oliveros and colleagues in 2019.<ref name=oliveros>{{cite journal |last1=Oliveros |first1=Carl H. |last2=Field |first2=Daniel J. |last3=Ksepka |first3=Daniel T. |last4=Barker |first4=F. Keith |last5=Aleixo |first5=Alexandre |last6=Andersen |first6=Michael J. |last7=Alström |first7=Per |last8=Benz |first8=Brett W. |last9=Braun |first9=Edward L. |last10=Braun |first10=Michael J. |last11=Bravo |first11=Gustavo A. |last12=Brumfield |first12=Robb T. |last13=Chesser |first13=R. Terry |last14=Claramunt |first14=Santiago |last15=Cracraft |first15=Joel |last16=Cuervo |first16=Andrés M. |last17=Derryberry |first17=Elizabeth P. |last18=Glenn |first18=Travis C. |last19=Harvey |first19=Michael G. |last20=Hosner |first20=Peter A. |last21=Joseph |first21=Leo |last22=Kimball |first22=Rebecca T. |last23=Mack |first23=Andrew L. |last24=Miskelly |first24=Colin M. |last25=Peterson |first25=A. Townsend |last26=Robbins |first26=Mark B. |last27=Sheldon |first27=Frederick H. |last28=Silveira |first28=Luís Fábio |last29=Smith |first29=Brian Tilston |last30=White |first30=Noor D. |last31=Moyle |first31=Robert G. |last32=Faircloth |first32=Brant C. |title=Earth history and the passerine superradiation |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=16 April 2019 |volume=116 |issue=16 |pages=7916–7925 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1813206116 |pmid=30936315 |doi-access=free |pmc=6475423 |bibcode=2019PNAS..116.7916O }}</ref>{{efn|Oliveros et al (2019) use the list of families published by Dickinson and Christidis in 2014.<ref name=oliveros/><ref>{{ cite book | editor-last1=Dickinson | editor-first1=E.C. | editor1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | editor-last2=Christidis | editor-first2=L. | editor2-link=Leslie Christidis | year=2014 | title=The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World | volume=2: Passerines | edition=4th | place=Eastbourne, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-2-2 }}</ref> Oliveros et al include 8 families that are not included on the IOC list. These are not shown here. By contrast, the IOC list includes 15 families that are not present in Dickinson and Christidis. In 13 of these cases, the position of the additional family in the taxonomic order can be determined from the species included by Oliveros and colleagues in their analysis. No species in the families Alcippeidae and Teretistridae were sampled by Oliveros et al so their position is uncertain.<ref name=ioc/><ref name=oliveros/>}} The relationships between the families in the suborder Tyranni (suboscines) were all well determined but some of the nodes in Passeri (oscines or songbirds) were unclear owing to the rapid splitting of the lineages.<ref name=oliveros/>

===Suborder Acanthisitti=== :::* Acanthisittidae: New Zealand wrens [[File:Pitta guajana-20030531B.jpg|thumb|Javan banded pitta (''Hydrornis guajanus''), an Old World suboscine.]]

[[File:Rupicola peruviana (male) -San Diego Zoo-8.jpg|thumb|Andean cock-of-the-rock (''Rupicola peruvianus'') a New World suboscine]]

===Suborder Tyranni (suboscines)===

* '''Infraorder Eurylaimides''': Old World suboscines and sapayoa ::* Philepittidae: asities ::* Eurylaimidae: typical broadbills ::* Calyptomenidae: African and green broadbills ::* Sapayoidae: sapayoa ::* Pittidae: pittas

* '''Infraorder Tyrannides''': New World suboscines :*'''Parvorder Furnariida''' ::* Melanopareiidae: crescentchests ::* Conopophagidae: gnateaters and gnatpittas ::* Thamnophilidae: antbirds ::* Grallariidae: antpittas ::* Rhinocryptidae: typical tapaculos ::* Formicariidae: antthrushes ::* Furnariidae: ovenbirds and woodcreepers :*'''Parvorder Tyrannida''' ::* Pipridae: manakins ::* Cotingidae: cotingas ::* Tityridae: tityras, becards and allies ::* Oxyruncidae: sharpbill ::* Onychorhynchidae: royal flycatchers and allies ::* Tyrannidae: tyrant flycatchers

===Suborder Passeri (oscines or songbirds)=== [[File:Male stitchbird.JPG|thumb|Male stitchbird or ''hihi'' (''Notiomystis cincta'') showing convergence with honeyeaters]] *Infraorder Menurides :::* Atrichornithidae: scrub-birds :::* Menuridae: lyrebirds *Infraorder Climacterides :::* Climacteridae: Australian treecreepers :::* Ptilonorhynchidae: bowerbirds *Infraorder Orthonynchides :::* Pomatostomidae: pseudo-babblers :::* Orthonychidae: logrunners *Infraorder Meliphagides ::*Superfamily Meliphagoidea :::* Acanthizidae: scrubwrens, thornbills, and gerygones :::* Meliphagidae: honeyeaters :::* Maluridae: australasian wrens :::* Dasyornithidae: bristlebirds :::* Pardalotidae: pardalotes [[File:Regentbowerbirdmale.jpg|thumb|Male regent bowerbird (''Sericulus chrysocephalus'', Ptilonorhynchidae)]] * '''Infraorder Corvides''' – previously known as the parvorder Corvida<ref name=Cracraft/> ::*No superfamily :::* Cinclosomatidae: jewel-babblers, quail-thrushes :::* Campephagidae: cuckooshrikes and trillers :::* Mohouidae: whiteheads :::* Neosittidae: sittellas ::*Superfamily Orioloidea{{efn|The order of the families within the superfamily Orioloidea is uncertain.<ref name=oliveros/>}} :::* Psophodidae: whipbirds :::* Eulacestomatidae: wattled ploughbill :::* Falcunculidae: shriketits :::* Oreoicidae: Australo-Papuan bellbirds :::* Paramythiidae: painted berrypeckers :::* Vireonidae: vireos, shrike-babblers, and erpornis :::* Pachycephalidae: whistlers :::* Oriolidae: Old World orioles and figbirds ::*Superfamily Malaconotoidea{{efn|The order of the families within the superfamily Malaconotoidea is uncertain.<ref name=oliveros/>}} [[File:Goldcrest 1.jpg|thumb|Tiny goldcrest (''Regulus regulus'') belongs to a minor but highly distinct lineage of Passeri]] :::* Machaerirhynchidae: boatbills :::* Artamidae: woodswallows, butcherbirds, currawongs, and Australian magpie :::* Rhagologidae: mottled berryhunter :::* Malaconotidae: puffbacks, bushshrikes, tchagras, and boubous :::* Pityriaseidae: Bornean bristlehead :::* Aegithinidae: ioras :::* Platysteiridae: wattle-eyes and batises :::* Vangidae: vangas, helmetshrikes, and woodshrikes ::*Superfamily Corvoidea{{efn|The order of the families within the superfamily Corvoidea is uncertain.<ref name=oliveros/>}} :::* Rhipiduridae: fantails :::* Dicruridae: drongos :::* Monarchidae: monarch flycatchers :::* Ifritidae: blue-capped ifrit :::* Paradisaeidae: birds-of-paradise :::* Corcoracidae: white-winged chough and apostlebird :::* Melampittidae: melampittas :::* Laniidae: shrikes :::* Platylophidae: crested jayshrike :::* Corvidae: crows, ravens, and jays [[File:Acrocephalus dumetorum.jpg|thumb|Reed warblers, such as this Blyth's reed warbler (''Acrocephalus dumetorum''), are now in the Acrocephalidae]] * '''Infraorder Passerides''' – previously known as the parvorder Passerida<ref name=Cracraft/> :* No parvorder :::* Cnemophilidae: satinbirds :::* Melanocharitidae: berrypeckers and longbills :::* Callaeidae: New Zealand wattlebirds :::* Notiomystidae: stitchbird :::* Petroicidae: Australasian robins :::* Eupetidae: rail-babbler :::* Picathartidae: rockfowl :::* Chaetopidae: rock-jumpers [[File:Eurasian blue tit Lancashire 2.jpg|thumb|Eurasian blue tit (''Cyanistes caeruleus'') and its relatives stand well apart from the rest of the Sylvioidea ''sensu lato'']] :* '''Parvorder Sylviida'''{{efn|The taxonomic sequence of the superfamilies Locustelloidea, Sylvioidea and Aegithaloidea is uncertain, although the order of the families within each of the superfamilies is well determined.<ref name=oliveros/>}} – previously known as the superfamily Sylvioidea<ref name=Cracraft/> :::* Hyliotidae: hyliotas :::* Stenostiridae: fairy flycatchers :::* Paridae: tits, chickadees and titmice :::* Remizidae: penduline-tits :::* Panuridae: bearded reedling :::* Alaudidae: larks :::* Nicatoridae: nicators :::* Macrosphenidae: crombecs and African warblers :::* Cisticolidae: cisticolas and allies [[File:Brown-headed Nuthatch-27527-4c.jpg|thumb|Brown-headed nuthatch (''Sitta pusilla''), nuthatches can climb downwards head-first]] ::*Superfamily Locustelloidea :::* Acrocephalidae: reed warblers, Grauer's warbler and allies :::* Locustellidae: grassbirds and allies :::* Donacobiidae: black-capped donacobius :::* Bernieridae: Malagasy warblers ::* Superfamily Hirundinoidea :::* Pnoepygidae: wren-babblers :::* Hirundinidae: swallows and martins [[File:Einsiedlerdrossel.jpg|thumb|Hermit thrush (''Catharus guttatus''), like many Muscicapoidea a stout and cryptic bird with complex vocalizations.]] ::*Superfamily Sylvioidea :::* Pycnonotidae: bulbuls :::* Sylviidae: sylviid warblers :::* Paradoxornithidae: parrotbills, fulvettas, wrentit, and myzornis :::* Zosteropidae: white-eyes and yuhinas :::* Timaliidae: tree babblers :::* Leiothrichidae: laughingthrushes and allies :::* Alcippeidae: Alcippe fulvettas :::* Pellorneidae: ground babblers [[File:GouldianFinches.jpg|thumb|Like these male (right) and female Gouldian finches (''Erythrura gouldiae''), many Passeroidea are very colorful]] ::*Superfamily Aegithaloidea :::* Phylloscopidae: leaf-warblers and allies :::* Hyliidae: hylias :::* Aegithalidae: long-tailed tits or bushtits :::* Scotocercidae: streaked scrub warbler :::* Cettiidae: Cettia bush warblers and allies :::* Erythrocercidae: yellow flycatchers [[File:Hirundo abyssinica.jpg|thumb|Lesser striped swallow (''Cecropis abyssinica''), showing some apomorphies of its ancient yet highly advanced lineage.]] :* '''Parvorder Muscicapida''' – previously treated as superfamily Muscicapoidea<ref name=Cracraft/> ::*Superfamily Bombycilloidea :::* Dulidae: palmchat :::* Bombycillidae: waxwings :::* Ptiliogonatidae: silky flycatchers :::* Hylocitreidae: hylocitrea :::* Hypocoliidae: hypocolius :::* †Mohoidae: Hawaiian honeyeaters [[File:Pinzón azul de Gran Canaria (macho), M. A. Peña.jpg|thumb|Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (male)]] ::*Superfamily Muscicapoidea :::* Elachuridae: spotted elachura :::* Cinclidae: dippers :::* Muscicapidae: Old World flycatchers and chats :::* Turdidae: thrushes and allies :::* Buphagidae: oxpeckers :::* Sturnidae: starlings, mynas, and rhabdornis :::* Mimidae: mockingbirds and thrashers ::*Superfamily Reguloidea :::* Regulidae: goldcrests and kinglets ::*Superfamily Certhioidea :::* Tichodromidae: wallcreeper :::* Sittidae: nuthatches :::* Certhiidae: treecreepers :::* Salpornithidae: spotted creepers :::* Polioptilidae: gnatcatchers :::* Troglodytidae: wrens :* '''Parvorder Passerida''' – previously known as the superfamily Passeroidea<ref name=Cracraft>{{ cite book | last=Cracraft | first=Joel | chapter=Avian higher-level relationships and classification: passeriformes | editor-last1=Dickinson | editor-first1=E.C. | editor1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | editor-last2=Christidis | editor-first2=L. | editor2-link=Leslie Christidis | year=2014 | title=The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World | volume=2: Passerines | edition=4th | place=Eastbourne, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-2-2 | pages=xvii-xxxiii [xxiv]}}</ref> ::*No superfamily :::* Promeropidae: sugarbirds :::* Modulatricidae: dapple-throat and allies :::* Nectariniidae: sunbirds :::* Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers :::* Chloropseidae: leafbirds :::* Irenidae: fairy-bluebirds :::* Peucedramidae: olive warbler :::* Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's finch ::*Superfamily Ploceoidea :::* Ploceidae: weavers :::* Viduidae: indigobirds and whydahs :::* Estrildidae: waxbills, munias and allies ::*Superfamily Passeroidea :::* Prunellidae: accentors :::* Passeridae: Old World sparrows, snowfinches, and ibon :::* Motacillidae: wagtails and pipits ::*Superfamily Fringilloidea – previously known as the nine-primaried oscines<ref name=barker2013/>{{efn|The order of some of the families within the superfamily Fringilloidea is uncertain.<ref name=oliveros/>}} :::* Fringillidae: finches and euphonias :::* Rhodinocichlidae: rosy thrush-tanager :::* Calcariidae: longspurs and snow buntings :::* Emberizidae: buntings :::* Cardinalidae: cardinals :::* Mitrospingidae: mitrospingid tanagers :::* Thraupidae: tanagers and allies :::* Passerellidae: New World sparrows, bush tanagers :::* Parulidae: New World warblers :::* Icteriidae: yellow-breasted chat :::* Icteridae: grackles, New World blackbirds, and New World orioles :::* Calyptophilidae: chat-tanagers :::* Zeledoniidae: wrenthrush :::* Teretistridae: Cuban warblers{{efn|The family Teretistridae (Cuban warblers) is tentatively placed here. The family was not included in the analysis published by Oliveros et al (2019).<ref name=oliveros/> Dickinson and Christidis (2014) considered the genus ''Teretistris'' ''Incertae sedis''.<ref>{{ cite book | editor-last1=Dickinson | editor-first1=E.C. | editor1-link=Edward C. Dickinson | editor-last2=Christidis | editor-first2=L. | editor2-link=Leslie Christidis | year=2014 | title=The Howard & Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World | volume=2: Passerines | edition=4th | place=Eastbourne, UK | publisher=Aves Press | isbn=978-0-9568611-2-2 | page=358 }}</ref> Barker et al (2013) found that Teretistridae is closely related to Zeledoniidae.<ref name=barker2013>{{ cite journal | last1=Barker | first1=F.K. | last2=Burns | first2=K.J. | last3=Klicka | first3=J. | last4=Lanyon | first4=S.M. | last5=Lovette | first5=I.J. | year=2013 | title=Going to extremes: contrasting rates of diversification in a recent radiation of New World passerine birds | journal=Systematic Biology | volume=62 | issue=2 | pages=298–320 | doi=10.1093/sysbio/sys094 | pmid=23229025 | doi-access=free }}</ref>}} :::* Nesospingidae: Puerto Rican tanager :::* Spindalidae: spindalises :::* Phaenicophilidae: Hispaniolan tanagers

===Phylogeny=== Relationships between living Passeriformes families based on the phylogenetic analysis of Oliveros et al. (2019).<ref name=oliveros/> Some terminals have been renamed to reflect families recognised by the IOC but not in that study.<ref name=ioc/> The IOC families Alcippeidae and Teretistridae were not sampled in this study.

{{clade transclude |page=Template:Phylogeny/Passerines |label=Passerine |wrap='''Passeriformes''' |nohidden=yes }}

== Explanatory notes == {{Notelist|40em}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{cite journal |last1=Alström |first1=Per |last2=Ericson |first2=Per G.P. |last3=Olsson |first3=Urban |last4=Sundberg |first4=Per |title=Phylogeny and classification of the avian superfamily Sylvioidea |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=February 2006 |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=381–397 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2005.05.015 |pmid=16054402 |bibcode=2006MolPE..38..381A | ref=none}} * {{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=F. Keith |last2=Barrowclough |first2=George F. |last3=Groth |first3=Jeff G. |title=A phylogenetic hypothesis for passerine birds: taxonomic and biogeographic implications of an analysis of nuclear DNA sequence data |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences |date=7 February 2002 |volume=269 |issue=1488 |pages=295–308 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1883 |pmid=11839199 |pmc=1690884 |ref=none }} * {{cite journal |last1=Barker |first1=F. Keith |last2=Cibois |first2=Alice |last3=Schikler |first3=Peter |last4=Feinstein |first4=Julie |last5=Cracraft |first5=Joel |title=Phylogeny and diversification of the largest avian radiation |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=27 July 2004 |volume=101 |issue=30 |pages=11040–11045 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0401892101 |pmid=15263073 |pmc=503738 | ref=none |bibcode=2004PNAS..10111040B |doi-access=free }} * {{cite journal |last1=Beresford |first1=P |last2=Barker |first2=F.K |last3=Ryan |first3=P.G |last4=Crowe |first4=T.M |title=African endemics span the tree of songbirds (Passeri): molecular systematics of several evolutionary 'enigmas' |journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences |date=22 April 2005 |volume=272 |issue=1565 |pages=849–858 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2004.2997 |ref=none |pmc=1599865 |pmid=15888418 |bibcode=2005PBioS.272..849B }} * {{cite journal |last1=Cibois |first1=Alice |last2=Slikas |first2=Beth |last3=Schulenberg |first3=Thomas S. |last4=Pasquet |first4=Eric |title=An endemic radiation of Malagasy songbirds is revealed by mitochondrial DNA sequence data |journal=Evolution |date=2001 |volume=55 |issue=6 |pages=1198–1306 |doi=10.1554/0014-3820(2001)055[1198:AEROMS]2.0.CO;2 |ref=none |pmid=11475055 }} * {{cite journal |last1=Ericson |first1=Per G.P. |last2=Johansson |first2=Ulf S. |title=Phylogeny of Passerida (Aves: Passeriformes) based on nuclear and mitochondrial sequence data |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |date=October 2003 |volume=29 |issue=1 |pages=126–138 |doi=10.1016/S1055-7903(03)00067-8 |ref=none |pmid=12967614 |bibcode=2003MolPE..29..126E }} * {{cite journal |last1=Johansson |first1=Ulf S. |last2=Ericson |first2=Per G. P. |title=Molecular support for a sister group relationship between Pici and Galbulae (Piciformes sensu Wetmore 1960) |journal=Journal of Avian Biology |date=June 2003 |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=185–197 |doi=10.1034/j.1600-048X.2003.03103.x |bibcode=2003JAvBi..34..185J |ref=none }} * {{cite journal |last1=Jønsson |first1=Knud A. |last2=Fjeldså |first2=Jon |title=A phylogenetic supertree of oscine passerine birds (Aves: Passeri) |journal=Zoologica Scripta |date=March 2006 |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=149–186 |doi=10.1111/j.1463-6409.2006.00221.x |ref=none }} * {{cite journal |last1=Lovette |first1=Irby J. |last2=Bermingham |first2=Eldredge |title=c-mos Variation in Songbirds: Molecular Evolution, Phylogenetic Implications, and Comparisons with Mitochondrial Differentiation |journal=Molecular Biology and Evolution |date=October 2000 |volume=17 |issue=10 |pages=1569–1577 |doi=10.1093/oxfordjournals.molbev.a026255 |pmid=11018162 |doi-access=free | ref=none }} * {{cite journal |last1=Raikow |first1=Robert J. |title=Monophyly of the Passeriformes: Test of a Phylogenetic Hypothesis |journal=The Auk |date=1982 |volume=99 |issue=3 |pages=431–445 |jstor=4085923 |ref=none }} {{refend}}

==External links== {{Wikibooks|Dichotomous Key|Passeriformes}} * {{Wiktionary-inline}} * {{Commons-inline}} * {{Wikispecies-inline|Passeriformes}}

Category:Passeriformes Category:Extant Eocene first appearances Category:Animal taxa named by Carl Linnaeus