the largest order of birds and the dominant avian group on Earth today.

The passeriform birds are true perching birds, with four toes, three directed forward and one backward. Considered the most highly evolved of all birds, passerines have undergone an explosive evolutionary radiation in relatively recent geological time and now occur in abundance on all continents except Antarctica and on most oceanic islands.

Their rapid evolution and adaptation to virtually all terrestrial environments resulted in a large number of species, some 5,700, compared with only about 4,069 species of all other birds.

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Austin, Oliver L., Gill, Frank, Clench, Mary Heimerdinger. "passeriform". Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Jul. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/animal/passeriform. Accessed 1 September 2026.