Ammodramus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Aves
Subclassis: Carinatae
Infraclassis: Neornithes
Parvclassis: Neognathae
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Parvordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea
Familia: Emberizidae
Genus: Ammodramus
Species: A. aurifrons - A. bairdii - A. caudacutus - A. henslowii - A. humeralis - A. leconteii - A. maritimus - A. nelsoni - A. savannarum

Name

Ammodramus Swainson, 1827

Vernacular name

The genus Ammodramus is a group of American sparrows in the family Emberizidae. Ammodramus is Latin for "Sand Runner." Typical of these thick grass and ground loving sparrows.

These birds are relatively small, with large bills, flat heads and short tails. They are usually found in grasslands or marshes and are often fairly inconspicuous. Most of their songs are insect-like.

Many of these bird species have declined in numbers due to habitat loss.

The full list of species is:

* Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus
o Dusky Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus nigrescens (extinct, 1987)
o Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow, Ammodramus maritimus mirabilis
* Nelson's Sparrow, Ammodramus nelsoni
* Saltmarsh Sparrow, Ammodramus caudacutus
* Le Conte's Sparrow, Ammodramus leconteii
* Henslow's Sparrow, Ammodramus henslowii
* Baird's Sparrow, Ammodramus bairdii
* Grasshopper Sparrow, Ammodramus savannarum
* Grassland Sparrow, Ammodramus humeralis
* Yellow-browed Sparrow, Ammodramus aurifrons

The fossil Ammodramus hatcheri (Late Miocene of Kansas, USA) 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.