Passerida
| Passerida | |
|---|---|
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| The golden-crowned sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla) belongs to the bunting family, not the true sparrows. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Suborder: | Passeri |
| Infraorder: | Passerida |
| Superfamilies | |
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and see text
Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two "parvorders" contained within the suborder Passeri (standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder). While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorder, Corvida, is not a monophyletic grouping, the Passerida as a distinct clade are widely accepted.
The Passerida quite certainly consist of the 3 major subclades outlined by Sibley & Ahlquist (1990). However, their content has been much revised. In addition, it has turned out that not all passeridan lineages neatly fit into this arrangement. The kinglets are so distinct that they might actually form a separate infraorder, as they are only slightly less basal than the Corvoidea or the Picathartidae. See Jønsson & Fjeldså (2006) for details on phylogeny.
Mostly insectivores, distribution centered on the Indo-Pacific region. Few occur in the Americas.
Mostly insectivores, near-global distribution centered on Old World tropics. One family is endemic to the Americas.
Mostly herbivores, near-global distribution centered on Palearctic and Americas. Includes the nine-primaried oscines (probably a subclade).
Rather basal Passerida, most of which seem to constitute several small but distinct superfamilies. Most occur in Asia, Africa and North America.
These have been assigned to the Passerida in recent times, often based on DNA-DNA hybridization data. However, they are probably more basal among the songbirds and would belong either to the Corvoidea or the allied basal lineages. Most of them are either African or Wallacean groups.
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