Aquaterraves

Aquaterraves is a proposed clade of birds, located at the base of the neoavian radiation as sister to Telluraves. The 2024 study that recovered the clade found it to include two strongly supported branches, Aequorlitornithes (including core waterbirds Aequornithes and their relatives) and the newly established Litusilvanae (uniting Charadriiformes, Gruiformes, and Caprimulgimorphae), as well a third branch containing Columbiformes and related taxa that have had an unstable position in previous phylogenomic studies.^[1]

Aquaterraves Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) – Recent 81–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Snowy egret (Egretta thula)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Neoaves
Clade:	Aquaterraves Wu et al., 2024
Clades
Aequorlitornithes Mirandornithes Opisthocomiformes Phaethoquornithes Litusilvanae Columbaves

Paleohistory

The divergence of Aquaterraves from Telluraves was estimated to have occurred around 87 Mya (million years ago), while the split of Aquaterraves itself was estimated at 81 Mya.^[1]

Phylogeny

Neoaves

Aquaterraves Columbaves Columbimorphae (pigeons, sandgrouse, mesites) Otidimorphae (bustards, turacos, cuckoos) Litusilvanae Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Gruimorphae Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) (Cursorimorphae) Aequorlitornithes Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Phaethoquornithes Phaethontimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)