ABSTRACT
Emberizid sparrows are found on five continents and a few are often familiar yard birds. Most tropical species are sedentary, but many temperate species are short-distance migrants. Even so, relatively short wings and long tails are a uniting feature. They exhibit complex plumage patterns, sometimes with bold colorful patches or intricate streaking and barring. Although this is an incredibly diverse and widespread family, their diversity is often lowest in forests, notably in tropical forests, and only one species, Arremon taciturnis, occurs in the primary terra firme forest of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP). Sparrows exhibit either a Complex Basic or Complex Alternate Strategy. The preformative molt is often partial, but can be incomplete or complete in some species especially in open grasslands or saltmarshes. Prealternate molts, when they exist, are often limited, sometimes partial, and occasionally include central rects—again the extent is apparently associated with environmental conditions that may include a combination of abiotic and biotic factors.
