Neoaves

Neoaves is a clade that consists of all modern birds (Neornithes or Aves) with the exception of Palaeognathae (ratites and kin) and Galloanserae (ducks, chickens and kin).^[4] This group is defined in the PhyloCode by George Sangster and colleagues in 2022 as "the most inclusive crown clade containing Passer domesticus, but not Gallus gallus".^[5] Almost 95% of the roughly 10,000 known species of extant birds belong to the Neoaves.^[6]

Neoavians Temporal range: Paleocene – Holocene, 62.5–0 Ma[1] PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Early Cretaceous origin based on molecular clock[2][3]
Great crested grebe (Podiceps cristatus)
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Neognathae
Clade:	Neoaves Sibley et al., 1988
Clades
Charadriiformes Columbimorphae Gruiformes Mirandornithes Opisthocomiformes Otidimorphae Phaethoquornithes Strisores Telluraves

The early diversification of the various neoavian groups occurred very rapidly around the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event,^[7][8] and attempts to resolve their relationships with each other have resulted initially in much controversy.^[9][10]

Phylogeny

The early diversification of the various neoavian groups occurred very rapidly around the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event.^[11] As a result of the rapid radiation, attempts to resolve their relationships have produced conflicting results, some quite controversial, especially in the earlier studies.^[12][13][14] Nevertheless, some recent large phylogenomic studies of Neoaves have led to much progress on defining orders and supraordinal groups within Neoaves. Still, the studies have failed to produce to a consensus on an overall high order topology of these groups.^{[15][16][17][14]} A genomic study of 48 taxa by Jarvis and colleagues in 2014 divided Neoaves into two main clades, Columbea and Passerea, but an analysis of 198 taxa by Prum and colleagues in 2015 recovered different groupings for the earliest split in Neoaves.^[15][16] A reanalysis with an extended dataset by Reddy and colleagues in 2017 suggested this was due to the type of sequence data, with coding sequences favouring the Prum topology.^[17] The disagreement on topology even with large phylogenomic studies led Alexander Suh in 2016 to propose a hard polytomy of nine clades as the base of Neoaves.^[18] An analysis by Houde and colleagues in 2019 recovered Columbea and a reduced hard polytomy of six clades within Passerea.^[19]

Despite other disagreements, these studies do agree on a number of supraordinal groups, which Reddy and colleagues in 2017 dubbed the "magnificent seven", which together with three "orphaned orders" make up Neoaves.^[17] Significantly, they both include a large waterbird clade (Aequornithes) and a large landbird clade (Telluraves). The groups defined by Reddy and colleagues (2017) are as follows:

• The "magnificent seven" supraordinal clades:

1. Telluraves (landbirds)
2. Aequornithes (waterbirds)
3. Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu and tropicbirds)
4. Otidimorphae (turacos, bustards and cuckoos)
5. Strisores (nightjars, swifts, hummingbirds and allies)
6. Columbimorphae (mesites, sandgrouse and pigeons)
7. Mirandornithes (flamingos and grebes)

• The three orphaned orders:
  • Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin)
  • Gruiformes (cranes and rails)
  • Charadriiformes (shorebirds, gulls and alcids)

 

Comparison of different proposals for neoavian radiation

Jarvis et al. (2014)[4]

Columbea Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Columbimorphae (pigeons, mesites, sandgrouse) Passerea Otidae Otidimorphae (cuckoos, bustards, turacos) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Gruae Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Gruimorphae Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves Afroaves Australaves (core landbirds)

Prum et al. (2015)[20]

Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Columbaves Columbimorphae (pigeons, mesites, sandgrouse) Otidimorphae (cuckoos, bustards, turacos) Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Aequorlitornithes Mirandornithes (flamingoes, grebes) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) (waterbirds) Inopinaves Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Suh (2016) — a hard polytomy[18]
Mirandornithes (flamingoes, grebes) Columbimorphae (pigeons, mesites, sandgrouse) Otidimorphae (cuckoos, bustards, turacos) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves Afroaves Australaves (core landbirds)

Reddy et al. (2017)[17]
Columbea Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Columbimorphae (pigeons, mesites, sandgrouse) Passerea Otidimorphae (cuckoos, bustards) Musophagiformes (turacos) Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Houde et al. (2019) —polytomy in Passerea[19]
Columbea Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Columbimorphae (pigeons, mesites, sandgrouse) Passerea Otidimorphae (cuckoos, bustards, turacos) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Kuhl et al. (2021)[2]

Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Columbaves Columbimorphae Pteroclimesites (sandgrouse, mesites) Columbiformes (pigeons) Cuculiformes (cuckoos) Musophagotides (turacos, bustards) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Gruimorphae Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Braun & Kimball (2021) — soft polytomies at the base of Neoaves and in Passerea[21]

Mirandornithes (flamingos, grebes) Columbimorphae (pigeons, sandgrouse, mesites) Passerea Otidimorphae (bustards and cuckoos without turacos) Musophagiformes (turacos) Strisores (hummingbirds, swifts, nightbirds) Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Gruiformes (cranes, rails) Charadriiformes (shorebirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Wu et al. (2024)[22]

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 Eurypygimorphae (sunbittern, kagu, tropicbirds) Aequornithes (core waterbirds) Telluraves (core landbirds)

Stiller et al (2024)[23]

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

Detailed cladogram

The following cladogram illustrates the proposed relationships between all neoavian bird clades.^[23]

Neoaves

Mirandornithes Phoenicopteriformes (flamingos) Podicipediformes (grebes) Columbaves Columbimorphae Columbiformes (pigeons and doves) Pteroclimesites Mesitornithiformes (mesites) Pterocliformes (sandgrouse) Otidimorphae Musophagiformes (turacos) Otidiformes (bustards) Cuculiformes (cuckoos) Passerea Elementaves Gruae Opisthocomiformes (hoatzin) Gruimorphae Gruiformes (rails and cranes) Charadriiformes (waders, gulls, and relatives) Strisores Caprimulgiformes (nightjars) Vanescaves Sedentaves Nyctibiiformes (potoos) Steatornithiformes (oilbirds) Letornithes Podargiformes (frogmouths) Apodimorphae Aegotheliformes (owlet-nightjars) Apodiformes (swifts, treeswifts and hummingbirds) Phaethoquornithes Eurypygimorphae Phaethontiformes (tropicbirds) Eurypygiformes (sunbittern and kagu) Aequornithes Gaviiformes (loons/divers) Feraequornithes Austrodyptornithes Procellariiformes (albatrosses, shearwaters, and petrels) Sphenisciformes (penguins) Pelecanimorphae Ciconiiformes (storks) Pelecanes Suliformes (frigatebirds, gannets, cormorants, and darters) Pelecaniformes (pelicans, herons and ibises) Telluraves Afroaves Hieraves Strigiformes (owls) Accipitriformes (hawks, eagles, vultures, and relatives) Coraciimorphae Coliiformes (mousebirds) Cavitaves Leptosomiformes (cuckoo roller) Eucavitaves Trogoniformes (trogons) Picocoraciae Bucerotiformes (hornbills, hoopoes and relatives) Picodynastornithes Coraciiformes (kingfishers, rollers, bee-eaters and relatives) Piciformes (woodpeckers and relatives) Australaves Cariamiformes (seriemas) Eufalconimorphae Falconiformes (falcons and caracaras) Psittacopasseres Psittaciformes (parrots) Passeriformes (passerines)