of, relating to, or belonging to the Passeriformes, an order of birds characterized by the perching habit: includes the larks, finches, crows, thrushes, starlings, etc
noun
2.
any bird belonging to the order Passeriformes
Word origin
C18: from Latin passer sparrow
passerine in American English
(ˈpæsərɪn; ˈpæsərˌaɪn)
adjective
1.
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