''Ammodramus'' is a genus of birds in the family

Passerellidae New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share th ...

, in the group known as

American sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share th ...

s. Birds of this genus are known commonly as grassland sparrows.''Ammodramus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) The name ''Ammodramus'' is from the

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

for "sand runner". These birds live in

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

habitat. Some ''Ammodramus'' are socially

monogamous Monogamy ( ) is a relationship of two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or serial monogamy, contrasts with various forms of non-monogamy (e.g. ...

and both parents care for the young. Other species are polygynous with no

pair bond In biology, a pair bond is the strong affinity that develops in some species between a mating pair, often leading to the production and rearing of young and potentially a lifelong bond. Pair-bonding is a term coined in the 1940s that is frequently ...

ing and no paternal care. Several species were once included in this genus, but have been reclassified into the genera ''

Ammospiza ''Ammospiza'' is a genus of birds in the family Passerellidae, in the group known as American sparrows. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek αμμος (''ammos'') meaning "sand" and σπιζα (''spiza'') meaning "finch". Species The genu ...

'' and '' Centronyx'' by sources such as

Birdlife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...

and the

American Ornithological Society The American Ornithological Society (AOS) is an ornithological organization based in the United States. The society was formed in October 2016 by the merger of the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) and the Cooper Ornithological Society. Its ...

. Current species in this genus include:

Species

The fossil ''Ammodramus hatcheri'' (

Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene epoch (geology), Epoch made up of two faunal stage, stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million ye ...

Kansas Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...

, 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.Steadman, D. W., & McKitrick, M. C. (1982)
A Pliocene bunting from Chihuahua, Mexico.
''The Condor'', 84(2), 240-241.

References

{{Authority control Bird genera American sparrows Taxa named by William Swainson