Temporal range: Early Paleocene–Holocene 62–0 Ma[1]
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Possible an early origin based on molecular clock[2]
Juvenile red-throated loon (Gavia stellata)
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Clade:
Passerea
Clade:
Phaethoquornithes Sangster et al., 2022[3]
Subgroups
Phaethontimorphae
Aequornithes
Synonyms
Ardeae
Phaethoquornithes is a clade of birds that contains Eurypygimorphae and Aequornithes,[4] which was first recovered by genome analysis in 2014.[5] Members of Eurypygimorphae were originally classified in the obsolete group Metaves,[clarification needed] and Aequornithes were classified as the sister taxon to Musophagiformes or Gruiformes.[6][7]
This group has also been informally called Ardeae.[8] Older classifications have used Ardeae in a different sense, as a suborder of Ciconiiformes containing herons and related species.[9]
Phaethoquornithes
Phaethontimorphae
Phaethontiformes (tropicbirds)
Eurypygiformes (sunbittern and kagu)
(=Eurypygimorphae)
Aequornithes
Gaviiformes (loons)
Procellariimorphae
Procellariiformes (albatrosses and petrels)
Sphenisciformes (penguins)
Pelecanimorphae
Ciconiiformes (storks)
Suliformes (boobies, cormorants, etc.)
Pelecaniformes (pelicans, herons & ibises)
Cladogram based on Kuhl et al. (2020),[2] with clade names following Sangster et al (2022).[4]
^Slack, Kerryn E.; Jones, Craig M.; Ando, Tatsuro; Harrison, G.L. "Abby"; Fordyce, R. Ewan; Arnason, Ulfur; Penny, David (2006). "Early Penguin Fossils, plus Mitochondrial Genomes, Calibrate Avian Evolution". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 23 (#6): 1144–1155. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.113.4549. doi:10.1093/molbev/msj124. PMID 16533822. Supplementary Material Archived December 16, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ abKuhl., H.; Frankl-Vilches, C.; Bakker, A.; Mayr, G.; Nikolaus, G.; Boerno, S. T.; Klages, S.; Timmermann, B.; Gahr, M. (2020). "An unbiased molecular approach using 3'UTRs resolves the avian family-level tree of life". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 38: 108–127. doi:10.1093/molbev/msaa191. PMC 7783168. PMID 32781465.
^Sangster, G.; Braun, E.L.; Johansson, U.S.; Kimball, R.T.; Mayr, G.; Suh, A. (2022). "Phylogenetic definitions for 25 higher-level clade names of birds". Avian Research. 13: 100027. Bibcode:2022AvRes..1300027S. doi:10.1016/j.avrs.2022.100027.
^ abSangster, George; Braun, Edward L.; Johansson, Ulf S.; Kimball, Rebecca T.; Mayr, Gerald; Suh, Alexander (2022). "Phylogenetic definitions for 25 higher-level clade names of birds". Avian Research. 13: 100027. Bibcode:2022AvRes..1300027S. doi:10.1016/j.avrs.2022.100027. S2CID 247988800.
^Jarvis, E.D.; et al. (12 December 2014). "Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds". Science. 346 (6215): 1320–1331. Bibcode:2014Sci...346.1320J. doi:10.1126/science.1253451. PMC 4405904. PMID 25504713.
^Ericson, P. G.P; Anderson, C. L; Britton, T.; Elzanowski, A.; Johansson, U. S; Kallersjo, M.; Ohlson, J. I; Parsons, T. J; Zuccon, D.; Mayr, G. (22 December 2006). "Diversification of Neoaves: integration of molecular sequence data and fossils". Biology Letters. 2 (4): 543–547. doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0523. PMC 1834003. PMID 17148284.
^Hackett, S. J.; Kimball, R. T.; Reddy, S.; et al. (27 June 2008). "A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History" (PDF). Science. 320 (5884): 1763–1768. Bibcode:2008Sci...320.1763H. doi:10.1126/science.1157704. PMID 18583609. S2CID 6472805.
Phaethoquornithes is a clade of birds that contains Eurypygimorphae and Aequornithes, which was first recovered by genome analysis in 2014. Members of...
closest sister group of the Aequornithes, in a clade later named Phaethoquornithes. Cladogram based on Burleigh, J.G. et al. (2015) with some names after...
woodpeckers, among others). They appear to be the sister group of the Phaethoquornithes. Given that the most basal extant members of both Afroaves (Accipitrimorphae...
occupy various different ecological niches. They include the clades Phaethoquornithes and Strisores, as well as the Gruimorphae and Opisthocomiformes. According...
genomic study in 2024 instead places it as the sister group to the Phaethoquornithes (containing numerous aquatic bird orders). The combined group was...
(waders and shorebirds), Mirandornithes (flamingos and grebes) and Phaethoquornithes (Eurypygimorphae and Aequornithes). Previous studies have found different...
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