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Songbirds

Passeri

A songbird is a perching bird (order Passeriformes) in the suborder Passeri, also called the oscines. “Oscine” comes from Modern Latin Oscines, from Latin oscen (“songbird”), related to canere (“to sing”). Songbirds include more than 4,000 species worldwide; they are defined by a highly specialized syrinx (voice box) with fine muscular control that enables many species to produce complex learned songs, though not all songbirds sound “musical” to humans.

A songbird is a perching bird (order Passeriformes) in the suborder Passeri, also called the oscines. “Oscine” comes from Modern Latin Oscines, from Latin oscen (“songbird”), related to canere (“to sing”). Songbirds include more than 4,000 species worldwide; they are defined by a highly specialized syrinx (voice box) with fine muscular control that enables many species to produce complex learned songs, though not all songbirds sound “musical” to humans.