They show excellent distinct adaptations to their ground living way of life such as long, strong legs adapted to fast running and they leap and bound onto boulders and rocks with great agility. Their long, curved thick bills are adapted for digging and probing.
They can all of course fly (which they do little and relatively weakly), but prefer running, and will readily perch on trees and bushes also.
The above species' placement within the Passeriformes has changed recently because of molecular and osteological testing. It has now been placed into the Paridae.
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