Passeridae

Passeridae, the Old World sparrows, is a family of small passerine birds comprising 43 species in eight genera, including the true sparrows of the genus Passer as well as the snowfinches and rock sparrows. The family is indigenous to Europe, Africa and Asia, though species such as the house sparrow have spread globally through human settlement and now also live in North America, Australia, parts of southern and eastern Africa, and much of the heavily populated parts of South America. Members are generally small, plump, brown and grey birds with short tails and stubby, powerful beaks, ranging in size from the 11.4-centimeter chestnut sparrow to the 18-centimeter parrot-billed sparrow, and possess a vestigial dorsal outer primary wing feather and an extra bone in the tongue that aid in eating seeds. They are highly social birds, with many species breeding in loose colonies and most flocking outside the breeding season, are among the few passerines known to dust bathe, and commonly live in agricultural and urban areas, making them among the most familiar wild birds worldwide.