passerine Definition
pas·ser·ine (pas′ər in, -īn′)
adjective
of or pertaining to an order (Passeriformes) of small or medium-sized, chiefly perching songbirds having grasping feet with the first toe directed backward: more than half of all birds are included
Etymology: L passerinus < passer, a sparrow
noun
any such bird
passerine Usage Examples
Preposition: of
note: The only passerines of note were a few warblers, reduced from last week to 17 Willow Warbler and 2 Garden Warbler.
Converse of object
- see: However, failed breeders are often noted returning south, with waders and gulls passing through and the occasional passerine seen.
- winter: Wintering Palearctic passerines were in general not conspicuous - Woodchat Shrike was a particularly glaring omission.
- migrate: The entire coastline is good for sea watching and also highly attractive to migrating passerines with many rarities recorded.
- breed: Scrub areas are important for breeding passerines including Whitethroat Sylvia communis and Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia ( D. Bullock pers. comm.
- attract: Vedi Hills An arid gorge with a natural spring attracting many passerines to drink.
- seed-eating: Recent population changes among seed-eating passerines in the United Kingdom.
Adjective modifier
- migrant: This turned out to be the only migrant passerine I saw for the whole week!
- common: The common passerines were at their most abundant on this peninsula.
- small: Thus, any triangle of velocities could not direct a small passerine into our longitude.
- few: A small Barranco still held water and had attracted a few small passerines.
- other: Also seen in fields with other passerines in the Pyrenean valleys.
- many: Vedi Hills An arid gorge with a natural spring attracting many passerines to drink.
Modifies a noun
- migrant: Almost all passerine migrants that have been ringed at Ngulia must have passed through Ethiopia.
- migration: Here, the passerine migration seemed to have finally got into full swing, with large numbers of swallows.
- bird: No evidence for malaria infection during the nestling phase in a passerine bird ( submitted ).
- specie: The plan for the day was to see a number of the missing passerine species, at various sites on the way south.
- activity: Passerine activity was low, with everything seeming to be very quiet.
- passage: July 27th Autumn passerine passage continued to verge on the non-existent, but there was still plenty of interest today.
Preposition: in
valley: Also seen in fields with other passerines in the Pyrenean valleys.
Browse dictionary entries near passerine
- ‹ passerby
- ‹ passer-by
- ‹ passepied
- ‹ passenger pigeon
- ‹ passenger
- ‹ passementerie
- ‹ Passell, Peter
- ‹ passel
- ‹ passed dividend
- ‹ passed ball
- passible ›
- passim ›
- passing ›
- passing shot ›
- passion ›
- passion fruit ›
- Passion play ›
- Passion Sunday ›
- passional ›
- passionate ›

