Ammodramus

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Ammodramus
Yellow-crowned Sparrow.jpg
Yellow-browed sparrow (A. aurifrons)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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

PasserherbulusMaynard, 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 were once 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

Genus Ammodramus Swainson, 1827 – three species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Grasshopper sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum 160849415 (cropped).jpg

Ammodramus savannarum
(Gmelin, 1789)

Twelve subspecies
United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.
Ammodramus savannarum map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Grassland sparrow

TICO-TICO-DO-CAMPO (Ammodramus humeralis) - 2.jpg

Ammodramus humeralis
(Bosc, 1792)
Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Ammodramus humeralis map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


Yellow-browed sparrow

Ammodramus aurifrons Sabanero zumbador Yellow-browed Sparrow (18532854956).jpg

Ammodramus aurifrons
(Spix, 1825)

Four subspecies
South America
Ammodramus aurifrons map.svg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 LC 


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

  1. "Passerellidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
  2. 1 2 Ammodramus. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
  3. Beedy, E. C., E. R. Pandolfino, and K. Hansen. Birds of the Sierra Nevada: Their Natural History, Status, and Distribution. University of California Press. 2013. Page 314.
  4. Hill, C. E., & Post, W. (2005). Extra-pair paternity in seaside sparrows. Journal of Field Ornithology, 76(2), 119-126.
  5. Chesser, R. Terry; Kevin J. Burns; Carla Cicero; Jon L. Dunn; Andrew W. Kratter; Irby J. Lovette; Pamela C. Rasmussen; J.V. Remsen Jr.; Douglas F. Stotz; Benjamin M. Winger; Kevin Winker (2018). "Fifty-ninth Supplement to the American Ornithological Society's Check-list of North American Birds". The Auk. 135 (3): 798–813. doi: 10.1642/AUK-18-62.1 .
  6. Ammodramus. Birdlife.org
  7. "BirdLife Data Zone". datazone.birdlife.org. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
  8. Steadman, D. W., & McKitrick, M. C. (1982). A Pliocene bunting from Chihuahua, Mexico. The Condor, 84(2), 240-241.