The term maya refers to a

folk taxonomy A folk taxonomy is a vernacular name, naming system, as distinct from Taxonomy (general), scientific taxonomy. Folk biological classification is the way people traditionally describe and organize the world around them, typically making generous us ...

often used in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

to refer to a variety of small, commonly observed

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped') which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines generally have an anisodactyl arrangement of their ...

birds, including a number of

sparrows Sparrow may refer to: Birds * Old World sparrows, family Passeridae ** House sparrow, or ''Passer domesticus'' * New World sparrows, family Passerellidae * two species in the Passerine family Estrildidae: ** Java sparrow ** Timor sparrow * Hed ...

finches The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where the ...

and munias. This group includes '' Lonchura atricapilla'', specifically referred to by the common name ' ("red maya"), which was recognized as the

national bird This is a list of national birds, including official birds of overseas territories and other states described as nations. Most species in the list are officially designated. Some species hold only an "unofficial" status. The column is marked a ...

of the Philippines until 1995, when then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Fidel V. Ramos Fidel Valdez Ramos (; March 18, 1928 – July 31, 2022), popularly known as FVR, was a Filipino general and politician who served as the 12th president of the Philippines from 1992 to 1998. He was the only career military officer to reached ...

formally transferred the honorific to the

Philippine eagle The Philippine eagle (''Pithecophaga jefferyi''), also known as the monkey-eating eagle or great Philippine eagle, is a critically endangered species of eagle of the family Accipitridae which is Endemism, endemic to forests in the Geography of ...

. It also includes the Eurasian tree sparrow, '' Passer montanus'', introduced from Europe and locally referred to as ' – an invasive species predominant in urban areas, leading urban Filipinos to mistakenly think it is the only species referred to as "maya."

Species

Some of the species counted under the category of "maya" include: * '' Lonchura atricapilla'' – locally referred to as ''mayang pula'' ("red maya") in Filipino, national bird of the Philippines until 1995. Formerly considered

conspecific Biological specificity is the tendency of a characteristic such as a behavior or a biochemical variation to occur in a particular species. Biochemist Linus Pauling stated that "Biological specificity is the set of characteristics of living organism ...

with '' Lonchura malacca'', with which it is still often confused. Also sometimes referred to as ''mayang bungol'' (deaf maya), or ''mayang bukid'' (ricefield maya). * '' Lonchura leucogastra'' – locally referred to as ''mayang bato'' ("rock maya") in Filipino. * '' Lonchura punctulata'' – locally referred to ''mayang paking'' (another variation of "deaf maya"). * '' Padda oryzivora'' – locally referred to ''mayang costa'' ("coast maya"). * '' Passer montanus'' – the Eurasian tree sparrow, introduced from Europe and locally referred to as ''mayang simbahan'' ("church maya") in Filipino. * '' Oriolus steerii'' – the Philippine oriole is also sometimes generically referred to as "maya", and is sometimes confused for '' Lonchura atricapilla'' or '' Passer montanus'' due to naming.

Naming and confusion

Due to forces of globalization and urbanization,

Filipinos Filipinos () are citizens or people identified with the country of the Philippines. Filipinos come from various Austronesian peoples, all typically speaking Filipino language, Filipino, Philippine English, English, or other Philippine language ...

have become less familiar with the identity of bird species in their area over time. As a result, the use of the catch-all name "maya" for multiple species has resulted in them occasionally being confused for one another, despite readily observable morphological differences. Particularly in urban areas, where the

Eurasian tree sparrow The Eurasian tree sparrow (''Passer montanus'') is a passerine bird in the sparrow family with a rich chestnut crown and nape and a black patch on each pure white cheek. The sexes are similarly plumaged, and young birds are a duller version o ...

has become predominant as an invasive species, "maya" is often mistakenly thought to be the name of this single species, in spite of it not being originally native to the Philippines.

References

{{reflist Birds in popular culture Bird common names