Near passerine or higher land-bird assemblage are terms often given to arboreal birds or those most often believed to be related to the true passerines (order Passeriformes) due to ecological similarities; the group corresponds to some extent with the Anomalogonatae of Garrod (1874)citation needed. All near passerines are land birds. Whether all of these orders represent relatives of the Passeriformes is uncertain, but not well-supported by more recent data; however the bulk of evidencecitation needed supports the hypothesis that most do indeed form a clade that also includes the Passeriformes. In addition, it is now becoming increasingly clear that "near passerines" and "higher landbirds" are not synonymous, but that the former is more probably a subclade of the latter, and that the latter also includes groups like Falconiformescitation needed
The near passerines traditionally comprise the following orderscitation needed:
Of these, the relationship of the Strigiformes is uncertaincitation needed, whereas the first three groups almost certainly do not belong herecitation needed; sandgrouse (Pterocliformes) may not even be higher landbirdscitation needed. The Cuculiformes, Piciformes, Coraciiformes (including hornbills) and Trogoniformes seem to be very close to the Passeriformes on the other hand (Johansson & Ericson 2003), and one of these almost certainly is - among the living birds - the sister taxon of the Passeriformes.
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