Passerida

Passerida is a parvorder of perching birds within the order Passeriformes, encompassing a large radiation of songbird families that include the true sparrows, family Passeridae, the sunbirds, family Nectariniidae, the finches, family Fringillidae, and the extensive Emberizoidea grouping that contains the New World warblers and tanagers. Most of its more basal lineages are centered in the Old World, though several of its families occur naturally in the Americas and Australia as well. Many Passerida species show pronounced sexual dimorphism, and the group is known for songs built from comparatively simple warbling and chirping, with some species relying more on visual courtship displays than on song. Given the size and diversity of the parvorder, its members vary enormously in size, habitat, and appearance, and no single physical description covers the group as a whole.