Canaries belong to the order Passeriformes.
Passerine birds are birds of the order Passeriformes, which happens to be the largest and most diverse avian order. There are about six thousand species in this avian order, spread throughout the world. Many people are familiar with passerine birds as these birds are very abundant; sparrows, starlings and ravens, three common birds, are all passerines. In fact, the sparrows lend their name to the order; pin means “sparrow” in Latin.
A raven, a kind of passerine.
Birds in this order are sometimes called songbirds because many of them produce distinctive and sometimes very beautiful songs. These songs are activated by the syrinx, a specialized vocal organ in birds located in the branch of the lungs. The location of the syrinx allows birds to produce two different sounds at the same time. However, not all passerine birds sing, and as a result, many biologists prefer to classify them as perching birds, because passerines have a distinct anatomy that allows them to perch, and this is one of the distinctive features of the order.
The flycatcher is a type of small passerine bird.
Unlike non-perching birds, passerines have their toes pointing backwards. This allows them to cling to something to perch on, while other birds would simply fall off. Many passerine birds also have sharp, curved claws that help them grip surfaces on which they perch. Passerine birds have been around for at least 60 million years, based on fossil evidence, so apparently this trait worked quite well for them.
Wrens are mainly passerine birds.
Several other characteristics mark passerine birds. Many lay colored eggs, for example, differentiating them from other birds, which have the standard white color. Passerines also tend to be smaller than other birds, although their sizes are quite diverse, with some becoming quite large.
Within the order Passeriformes, there are three main suborders. Birds of the suborder Acanthisitti are restricted to New Zealand today, although they may have been more widely distributed throughout the world; these passerines are also known as New Zealand wrens. The suborder Tyranni includes passerines found primarily in South America; these birds are also called suboscines. The largest suborder Passeri includes birds known as oscines, and these birds are found throughout the world.