Passerine

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)

The Passerines ( Passeriformes, from Latin passer sparrow ) make up the largest order of the class of birds ( Aves ), with approximately 5,700 species. For the entirety of all other bird orders, there is often the ( unscientific ) umbrella term non- passerines ( Nonpasseriformes ).

Features

Passerines are rather small birds compared to the representatives of other families. The body length ranges from eight ( Firecrest ) up to 120 ( Birds of Paradise ) centimeters. Many passerines of high latitudes are migratory birds, resident birds are found, however, mainly in the types of the subtropics and tropics. The latter include the species in the families of the Lyrebird or the cloth birds, where the flight ability is weak.

Food and foraging

The vast number of passerines eats invertebrates or plant seeds, often both. Exceptions to this general rule is in some predominantly living in the rainforest families, which include the birds of paradise, the Manakin and the Cotingas. They feed almost exclusively of fruit. The Strangler, however, are predators that prey on large insects besides also small vertebrates such as lizards and mice. Crossbills have populations than adult birds almost exclusively of coniferous seeds. They are thus adapted to their diet that their beak is crossed and they are thus able to remove seeds like with a pair of tweezers from cones. The Dippers dive in shallow and fast-flowing streams for insects. They are the only passerine birds with this ability.

For a few species and the use of tools has been described for the acquisition of food. This includes, for example, the woodpecker finch on the Galapagos Islands, the pokes with a stick or cactus thorn for insects living in the bark of trees columns.

Passerines are among the few vertebrates that can not synthesize the vitamin C needed. You must include in the diet, it thus.

System

The passerines are now divided into three suborders. The basal, New Zealand Maori panties ( Acanthisitti ) are the sister group of all other passerines. The remaining share in the cry of birds ( tyrannical ), which have a more primitive lower larynx, and the songbirds ( Passeri ) whose vocal head is designed so that it can produce a variety of tones. In total, there are about 5,700 species of passerine birds.

Maori panties ( Acanthisitti )

Birds cry ( tyrannical )

Songbirds ( Passeri )