Pelecanae I

The 45 Orders

Paleognaths

Galloanserae

Metaves

Pelecanae

Charadriae

Passerae

CORONAVES

Fain and Houde (2004) dubbed the remaining birds Coronaves. Succeeding analysis by Ericson et al. (2006b) and Hackett et al. (2008) have modifed the membership of Coronaves, but the basic relationship remains. One of the major groups in Coronaves includes a number of mostly aquatic and semi-aquatic birds, along with cuckoos and turacos. Earlier versions of this list have referred to this group used the old term ‘Natatores’, but Pelecanae seems a better choice.

PELECANAE

OPISTHOCOMIFORMES L'Herminier, 1837

The Opisthocomiformes contain a single species, the Hoatzin. A long list of bird families have been considered its closest relatives, including seriemas, cuckoos, turacos, rails, doves, and others. The lack of any close relatives justifies placing it in its own order. Fain and Houde (2004) and Ericson et al. considered it part of Metaves. I follow Hackett et al's (2008) analysis, which puts it basal in the first part of Coronaves, but with considerable uncertainty. We know it branches off early somewhere in Neoaves, but exactly where cannot be pinned down with confidence.

Opisthocomidae: Hoatzin Swainson, 1837

1 genus, 1 species HBW-3

The remaining Pelecanae split into two groups: an un-named clade that includes the cranes, cuckoos, and bustards, and a clade containing the turacos and Aequornithes. This page covers the first part, the rest are on the next page.

OTIDIFORMES Wagler 1830

The bustards have been reorganized using Pitra et al. (2002). They sequenced all the bustards except for two of the Heterotetrax, vigorsii and humilis. Based on their results, I have merged Neotis into Ardeotis (which has priority) and separated Heterotetrax from Eupodotis. Those three species have sometimes been considered a separate genus under this name.

Following Hockey et al. (2005, aka Roberts VII), Barrow's Korhaan, Eupodotis barrowii, is considered a subspecies of White-bellied Bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis.

Otididae: Bustards Rafinesque, 1815

11 genera, 26 species HBW-3

CUCULIFORMES Wagler 1830

There is no real question that the cuckoos form a clade. The Cuculiformes are placed here following Hackett et al. (2008).

Cuculidae: Cuckoos Leach, 1820

32 genera, 147 species HBW-4

Very complete information is available on cuckoo taxonomy. Sorenson and Payne (2005) carried out a very extensive study of Cuckoo DNA. The result is the sequence used in Payne's book (2005). After adjusting the species limits for a couple of couas, it is the same sequence that is used here. Click on the graphic below for the genus-level tree.

Although Burchell's Coucal, Centropus superciliosus burchellii is sometimes treated as a separate species, the genetic data examined by Sorenson and Payne (2005) does not support this. The same is true of the Kai Coucal, Centropus phasianinus spilopterus.

Crotophaginae: Anis Swainson, 1837

Neomorphinae: Ground-Cuckoos, Roadrunners Shelley, 1891

Couinae: Couas Bonaparte, 1854

Centropodinae: Coucals Horsfield, 1823

Cuculinae: Cuckoos Wagler 1830

GRUIFORMES Bonaparte, 1854

All sorts of taxa have been previously been included in the Gruiformes, which seemed to serve as a waste-bin taxon. The Metavian mesites, kagu, and sunbittern have been considered Gruiformes. This version of the Gruiformes is a more coherent clade. The family order is based on Fain et al. (2007). Mayr (2008) discusses both DNA and morphological support for this clade.

Psophiidae: Trumpeters Mathews, 1913

1 genus, 6 species HBW-3

The trumpeters are an ancient lineage, probably becoming distinct from the limpkins and cranes in the Paleocene or Eocene. Nonetheless, the current crop of trumpeters are quite closely related. Indeed, Ribas et al. (2011) estimate that the common ancestor of all the extant trumpeters lived about 3 million years ago. At some point within the last few million years, only one trumpeter species left present-day descendants. Since the trumpeters have been around roughly 50 million years, it is likely that many species of trumpeters died out. This suggests that extinction plays a very important role in the biodiversity that we see, and that it hides much avian history.

Although the SACC arranges the 8 recognized subspecies of trumpeter into 3 species, I currently recognize 6 species. Oppenheimer and Silveira (2009) suggest that interjecta is indistinguishable from dextralis. Ribas et al. (2011) found 8 genetically distinct lineages, including interjecta. However, the genetic distance between interjecta and dextralis was small. The subspecies obscura was slightly more distinct, having separated roughly 500,000 years ago. The case for treating these as separate species is weak. For now I group them all as P. obscura. The other races of trumpeter are more distinct from one another, having likely separated from nearly 1 to about 2 million years ago. In the case of napensis and ochroptera, there is no sign of interbreeding in spite of a range overlap. This suggests they are separate species, and provides support for treating the remaining trumpeters as separate species.

Psophiidae tree

Ribas et al. (2011) also show how the separation of the trumpeters relates to the formation of various riverine barriers in the Amazon region. The various trumpeters inhabit several of the well-known areas of endemism in the Amazon. If other types of animal show a similar pattern and timing of separation, it will help explain the existence of these areas of endemism.

The additional English names are those used by Hellmayr and Conover (1942), sometimes for subspecies.

Aramidae: Limpkin Bonaparte, 1842

1 genus, 1 species HBW-3

Gruidae: Cranes Vigors, 1825

2 genera, 15 species HBW-3

The basic structure of the crane family has been known for some time. The cranes fall into two genera, Balearica and Grus, which are sometimes also considered subfamilies. Some authors have placed some of the Grus cranes in other genera, but for two decades the genetic data has shown these other genera are embedded in Grus. This was already visible in the DNA hybridization analysis of Krajewski (1989). It was even clearer in the cytochrome-b analysis of Krajewski and Fetzner (1994). Fain, Krajewski, and Houde (2007) refine this in a multi-gene analysis. The most recent analysis is that of Krajewski et al. (2010). They use the complete mitochondrial genome, and their analysis is followed here.

Heliornithidae: Finfoots G.R. Gray, 1840

3 genera, 3 species HBW-3

Sarothruridae: Flufftails

There have been suggestions this deserves recognition as a family since at least Sibley and Ahlquist (1985). Hackett et al. (2008) found that Sarothrura is more closely related to the finfoots than to the rails. Accordingly, it is placed in its own family. The morphological analyses of Olson (1973) and Livezey (1998) both suggested that Rallicula is close to Sarothrura. Canirallus may also belong here, but as of early 2011, there is no published analysis supporting that.

2 genera, 13 species Not HBW Family

Rallidae: Rails, Gallinules, Coots Rafinesque, 1815

35 genera, 136 species HBW-3

The rails have not had a comprehensive molecular review. The presentation here attempts to reconcile the genetic studies of Trewick (1997), Slikas et al., (2002), Groenenberg et al. (2008), and Ozaki et al. (2010), and the morphological studies by Olson (1973) and Livezey (1998). The discussion in Christidis and Boles (2008) was also helpful. This is a first draft, and I have no doubt that there will be changes when more complete genetic results are available.

The current order is based on the idea that Himantornis, Canirallus, and Gymnocrex are basal genera, with Canirallus possibily belonging in Sarothruridae. Hackett et al. (2008) found that Himantornis is in Rallidae.

The remaining genera can be split into 6 groups: (1) Anurolimnas-Gallirallus, (2) Neocrex-Aramides, (3) Rallina-Laterallus, (4) swamphens, Porphyrio, (5) gallinules and coots, Pareudiastes-Fulica, and (6) the Porzana group, Hapalocrex-Limnocorax. How these pieces fit together is not at all clear, nor is the exact composition of each group.

In particular, although the swamphens are often placed next to the gallinules and coots, the genetic evidence has not supported this, with Ozaki et al. (2010) placing the swamphens sister to group (2) and Trewick (1997) grouping the swamphens and group (4). The morphological evidence has also cast doubt on the position of the swamphens, with Livezey (1998) putting them in a relatively basal position. For the present, I leave the relationships between these six groups unresolved.

Trewick (1997) included a clade containing members of Anurolimnas, Gallirallus, and Rallus. Slikas et al. (2002) and Ozaki et al. (2010) also found a close relationship between Gallirallus and Rallus. The other genera are placed in this group based on Livezey (1998), mostly with the concurrance of Olson (1973).

The genus Gallirallus itself has been recently studied by Kirchman (2012). As a result, the genera Eulabeornis and Habroptila, which had previously not been considered that close to Gallirallus, end up submerged inside it. The genera Aramidopsis, Lewinia, and Nesoclopeus have been merged into Gallirallus. Kirchman found that the genetic distances between all the Gallirallus species is fairly small, and indicates a common ancestry as recently as a million or so years ago. This is amazingly recent. Doubly so considering that a number of these taxa are flightless. In some cases, flight seems to have been lost in only a few hundred thousand years!

The position of the New Guinea Flightless Rail, Megacrex ineptus, remains unclear. Kirchman (2012) found it basal to both Rallus and Gallirallus, while Trewick's (1997) results would put it in Gallirallus. I indicate this ambiguity by leaving it in its own genus Megacrex.

The extinct Sharpe's Rail, Gallirallus sharpei, is known from one specimen from an unknown location. According to Bird Life International, it is now thought to have been a color morph of Buff-banded Rail, Gallirallus philippensis. The information they cite remains to be published.

Slikas et al. (2002) had Aramides and Neocrex in the same clade. I've filled out group (2) with Cyanolimnas and Pardirallus based on Olson (1973). Livezey (1998) has a different take on this, putting Cyanolimnas and Pardirallus in their own clade.

Group (3) is monotypic. Olson (1973) had recommened Porphyrula be merged into Porphyrio. Trewick (1997) made a genetic case for this merger, which was adopted by AOU in 2002.

Group (4) is based on Ozaki et al. (2010). Their results suggest that Rallina, Coturnicops, and Laterallus are part of a clade. Micropygia is included because it is thought to be close to Coturnicops, possibly even congeneric. Atlantisia is tentatively placed in this group because Livezey (1998) had it near Laterallus.

The morphological evidence (Livezey, 1998) and some of the genetic evidence (Ozaki et al., 2010) suggest that groups (5) and (6) are each others' closest relatives. Except for Crex, the internal arrangement of group (5) is based on Slikas et al. (2002). This required resurrecting Hapalocrex (Ridgway 1920) for flaviventer, Limnocorax (Peters 1854, type flavirostra) for Slikas et al.'s clade 3, restricting Amaurornis to their clade 1, restricting Porzana to their clade 2, and resurrecting Rufirallus (Bonaparte 1854, type viridis). Crex was not included, and its placement here based on Livezey may be incorrect.

According to Livezey, Gallinula is paraphyletic with respect to Gallicrex. I follow Christidis and Boles (2008) and separate Pareudiastes (Hartlaub and Finsch 1871, type pacificus) Porphyriops (Pucheran 1845, monotypic), and Tribonyx (DuBus 1840, type mortierii) from Gallinula.

Livezey (1996) suggested that the Madagascan Rail is not closely related to Rallus, so it is placed in its own genus, Biensis (Pucheran 1845).

The Tsingy Wood Rail, Canirallus beankaensis, has been newly discovered within the Madagascan Wood Rail complex. See Goodman et al. (2011).

This list treats the Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata and Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus, as separate species, as do the SACC. Groenenberg et al. (2008) found that the Common Moorhen is more closely related to the Gough Moorhen, Gallinula comeri, and the extinct Tristan Moorhen, Gallinula nesiotis, than to the Common Gallinule. The relationships of the rest of the former Gallinula have not been subject to genetic testing.

Previous Page Next Page