Ammodramus

Ammodramus
Yellow-browed sparrow
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Emberizidae
Genus: Ammodramus
Swainson, 1827
Species

See text

Synonyms

Passerherbulus Maynard, 1895
Palaeostruthus

The genus Ammodramus is a group of American sparrows in the family Emberizidae. Ammodramus is Latin for "sand runner," an apt name for these birds which live in thick grass and on the ground.

These birds are relatively small, with large bills, flat heads and short tails. They are usually found in grasslands or marshes and are often fairly inconspicuous. Most of their songs are insect-like. Most species are found in eastern North America, while the grassland and yellow-browed sparrows are found in South America.

Many of these bird species have declined in numbers due to habitat loss.

The full list of species is:

The fossil Ammodramus hatcheri (Late Miocene of Kansas, United States) was formerly placed in genus Palaeospiza or Palaeostruthus. The former may not be a passeriform at all, while the latter was eventually synonymized with Ammodramus as A. hatcheri scarcely differs from the living species.

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