Passerida

Passerida are omnivorous birds found in East Africa and the Palearctic realm.^[1] They live in open areas with minimal trees such as Saharas and forest clearings. They are stocky birds between 12 cm (4.7 inches) and 18 cm (7.1 inches). The head and neck are a blackish-gray, and they have a very short beak.^[1]

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.

The nine-primaried oscines unite most birds commonly called "sparrows" in North American and "finches" in European English, as well as a number of other mostly American groups. They are divided into the fringillid radiation which is largely restricted to the Old World, and the numerous emberizoid families of the Americas, of which in turn only Emberizidae and the Arctic circumpolar Calcariidae have reached the Old World unaided by humans. Besides these, the singular olive warbler from North to Central America apparently represents a very ancient "living fossil" passeroid; its relationships were long disputed as its outward appearance and ecology resemble Setophaga warblers, but its anatomy is in some aspects convergent or symplesiomorphic with sylvioids.

• Modulatricidae: robin-babblers
• Promeropidae: sugarbirds
• Nectariniidae: sunbirds
• Dicaeidae: flowerpeckers
• Nine-primaried oscines
  • Chloropseidae: leafbirds
  • Irenidae: fairy bluebirds
  • Passeridae: true sparrows
  • Prunellidae: accentors
  • Urocynchramidae: Przewalski's finch. Recently split from Fringillidae; tentatively placed here.
  • 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^[2][3][4]
    • 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

• List of birds