Passeres
/ˈpasəriːz/Ornithology
noun
Treated as plural. A large order of birds (now usually called Passeriformes), comprising the perching birds and (formerly) some others; the perching birds collectively, the passerines.
- The name Passeres is sometimes used for the suborder (also known as Passeri or Oscines) that comprises the songbirds or oscine passerines..
Origin
Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Gilbert White (1720–1793), naturalist. From scientific Latin Passeres, use as order name (Linnaeus Systema Naturae (ed. 10, 1758) I. 162) of plural of post-classical Latin Passer genus name of sparrows (used by Gesner and other 16th- and 17th-cent. writers) from classical Latin passer sparrow, of unknown origin.