What is Emberizidae?
{{Taxobox | name = Emberizidae | image = Americantreesparrow36.jpg | image_width = 240px | image_caption = [[American Tree Sparrow]]<br/>''Spizella arborea'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[bird|Aves]] | ordo = [[passerine|Passeriformes]] | subordo = [[Passeri]] | familia = '''Emberizidae''' | familia_authority = [[Nicholas Aylward Vigors|Vigors]], 1831}} '''Emberizidae''' is a large [[family (biology)|family]] of [[passerine]] [[bird]]s, which are typically known as '''buntings''' in the Old World and '''American sparrows''' in the New World. They are seed-eating birds with a finch-like bill. These birds are not closely related to the (Old World) [[sparrow]]s, the family Passeridae. The family also includes the North American birds known as [[junco]]s and [[towhee]]s. The Emberizidae family probably originated in [[South America]] and spread first into [[North America]] before crossing into eastern [[Asia]] and continuing to move west. This explains the comparative paucity of emberizid species in [[Europe]] and [[Africa]] when compared to the [[Americas]]. Like wih several other [[passerine]] families, this family's [[taxonomy]] is in a state of flux. Many [[genera]] in South and Central America are more closely related to [[tanager]] [[clades]],<ref>Burns K.J; Hackett S.J. & Klein N.K. 2002. Phylogenetic relationships and morphological diversity in Darwin's finches and their relatives. ''Evolution'' '''56''' (6) 1240-1252</ref><ref>Lougheed S.C. ''et al'' 2000. A molecular phylogeny of warbling-finches (Poospiza): paraphyly in a Neotropical emberizid genus. ''Mol. Phylogenet. Evol''. '''17''': 367-378</ref><ref>Burns K.J; Hackett S.J. & Klein N.K. 2003. Phylogenetic relationships of Neotropical honeycreepers and the evolution of feeding morphology. ''J. Avian Biology'' '''34''': 360-370.</ref> and at least one tanager genus (''[[Chlorospingus]]'') may belong here in the Emberizidae.<ref>Yuri T. & Mindell D.P. 2002. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of Fringillidae, Ne