Genus of birds
Ammodramus |
|
Yellow-browed sparrow (A. aurifrons) |
Scientific classification |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Passerellidae |
Genus: | Ammodramus Swainson, 1827 |
Type species |
Ammodramus bimaculatus[1]
Swainson, 1827 |
Species |
See text |
Synonyms |
Passerherbulus Maynard, 1895 Palaeostruthus |
Ammodramus is a genus of birds in the family Passerellidae, in the group known as American sparrows. Birds of this genus are known commonly as grassland sparrows.[2] The name Ammodramus is from the Greek for "sand runner".[3]
These birds live in grassland habitat. Some Ammodramus are socially monogamous and both parents care for the young. Other species are polygynous with no pair bonding and no paternal care.[4]
Several species have been included in this genus, but have been reclassified into the genera Ammospiza and Centronyx by sources such as Birdlife International and the American Ornithological Society.[5] Current species in this genus include:[2][6][7]
Species
Image | Common Name | Scientific name | Distribution |
| Grasshopper sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum | United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. |
| Grassland sparrow | Ammodramus humeralis | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. |
| Yellow-browed sparrow | Ammodramus aurifrons | South America |
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.[8]
References
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