Ammodramus | |
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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 | |
PasserherbulusMaynard, 1895 |
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]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
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Grasshopper sparrow | Ammodramus savannarum (Gmelin, 1789) Twelve subspecies
| United States, Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.![]() | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Grassland sparrow | Ammodramus humeralis (Bosc, 1792) | Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.![]() | Size: Habitat: Diet: | LC |
Yellow-browed sparrow | Ammodramus aurifrons (Spix, 1825) Four subspecies
| South America![]() | 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]