Conirostres

Tribe of Pa erine birds, with thick head, powerful conical beak, short neck, and ambulatory feet. The metatarsus is short and covered with scales in front. They feed principally on seeds and fruits. The Larks and Finches ( Alaudide and Fringillid a ), including the Bunting, Sparrow, Canary, and Cro bill, are examples. The last has the conirostral character much obscured, by the cro ing of the tips of its beak, to enable it to feed on the seeds of fir-cones, which it tears to pieces. The Weaver-bird also belongs to the group, and some authors include many of the Den tiros tres, in which the notch of the upper beak is weak, as the Crows, Starlings, and Birds of Paradise. The Lev i rostral Hornbills are also sometimes placed here.