Songbirds are the main group ofbirds in theorderPasseriformes. They are the suborderPasseri, sometimes called 'oscines' (Latin for songbird). They are a genuineclade.
There are about 4000species of songbird. Theirsyrinx (vocal organ) is able to produce varied and beautiful singing.[1] They are avery successful group of birds, in fact they are the dominant birds on Earth today.
It seems songbirds evolved 50 million years ago in the part ofGondwana which later becameAustralia, New Zealand,New Guinea andAntarctica. They then spread around the world.[2][3]
Their song is mainly territorial: it communicates the identity and whereabouts of an individual to other birds of the samespecies. It also signals sexual intentions. Female preference in some populations is based on the extent of a male's song repertoire. The larger a male's repertoire, the more females a male individual attracts.[4]
Bird calls are also used for alarms and contact. They are especially important in birds that feed or migrate in flocks. Although almost all birds give calls of some sort, well-developed songs are only given by a few lines outside the songbirds.
