passerine

pas·ser·ine

P0097800 (păs′ə-rīn′)adj. Of or relating to birds of the order Passeriformes, which have feet specialized for grasping branches and similar structures, with the first toe facing backward. The order includes the songbirds and certain other groups, such as the flycatchers of the Americas.n. A bird of the order Passeriformes. Also called perching bird.

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[Latin passerīnus, of sparrows, from passer, sparrow.]

passerine

(ˈpæsəˌraɪn; -ˌriːn) adj (Animals) of, relating to, or belonging to the Passeriformes, an order of birds characterized by the perching habit: includes the larks, finches, crows, thrushes, starlings, etcn (Animals) any bird belonging to the order Passeriformes[C18: from Latin passer sparrow]

pas•ser•ine

(ˈpæs ər ɪn, -əˌraɪn, -əˌrin)

adj. 1. of, belonging, or pertaining to the order Passeriformes, comprising more than half of all birds and typically having the feet adapted for perching. n. 2. any bird of the order Passeriformes. [1770–80; < Latin passerīnus of a sparrow]

pas·ser·ine

(păs′ə-rīn′) Belonging to the order of perching birds, including more than half of all living birds. Passerine birds are of small to medium size, have three toes pointing forward and one pointing back, and are often brightly colored. The songbirds are passerines.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	passerine - perching birds mostly small and living near the ground with feet having 4 toes arranged to allow for gripping the perch; most are songbirds; hatchlings are helplesspasseriform birdbird - warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wingsorder Passeriformes, Passeriformes - largest order of birds comprising about half the known species; rooks; finches; sparrows; tits; warblers; robins; wrens; swallows; etc.; the four suborders are Eurylaimi and Tyranni and Menurae and Oscines or Passeresoscine, oscine bird - passerine bird having specialized vocal apparatussparrow, true sparrow - any of several small dull-colored singing birds feeding on seeds or insectslyrebird - Australian bird that resembles a pheasant; the courting male displays long tail feathers in a lyre shapescrub bird, scrubbird, scrub-bird - small fast-running Australian bird resembling a wren and frequenting brush or scrubbroadbill - small birds of the Old World tropics having bright plumage and short wide billstyrannid - a passerine bird of the suborder Tyrannijenny wren, wren - any of several small active brown birds of the northern hemisphere with short upright tails; they feed on insects
Adj.	1.	passerine - relating to or characteristic of the passeriform birdsnonpasserine - relating to or characteristic of birds that are not perching birds