| 'Higher Water Birds' Temporal range: Late Cretaceous - Recent
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| Superorder: | 'Higher Water Birds' Hackett et al. (2008).
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Gaviiformes | |
The higher water birds is a proposed superorder based on a recent study of the bird family tree.[1][2] It includes the orders Gaviiformes, Pelecaniformes, Ciconiiformes, Sphenisciformes and Procellariiformes. The Podicipediformes were considered to be part of this group, but it turns out that they 're more closer to Phoenicopteriformes. Another group, the tropicbirds were also considered in this group, but instead it turns out they're not closely related to them. Also based on the study is this group is more closer to land birds such as Gruiformes and Cuculiformes, than to other water birds. Though they have no scientiffic name for this group, the term "higher water birds" is coined due the majority of the species being aquatic and to avoid confusion with the Anseriformes, also referred to as "water birds".
Classification edit
Taxomony edit
- Superorder: Higher Water Birds
- Order: Gaviiformes
- Family: Gaviidae
- Order: Pelecaniformes
- Family: Anhingidae
- Family: Fregatidae
- Family: Pelecanidae
- Family: Phalacrocoracidae
- Family: Sulidae
- Family: Ardeidae
- Family: Balaenicipitidae
- Family: Scopidae
- Family: Threskiornithidae
- Order: Ciconiiformes
- Family: Ciconiidae
- Order: Sphenisciformes
- Family: Spheniscidae
- Order: Procellariiformes
- Family: Procellariidae
- Family: Diomedeidae
- Family: Hydrobatidae
- Family: Pelecanoididae
- Order: Gaviiformes
References edit
- ^ http://tolweb.org/%27Water_Birds%27/123207
- ^ A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary History. Shannon J. Hackett, et al.. Science 320, 1763 (2008).