Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds
The Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy is a bird taxonomy proposed by Charles Sibley and Jon E. Ahlquist. It is based on DNA–DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s.[1]
DNA–DNA hybridization is among a class of comparative techniques in
Characteristics
The classification appears to be an early example of
The Sibley–Ahlquist arrangement differs greatly from the more traditional approach used in the Clements taxonomy.
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Basal divergences of modern birds in the Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy |
Showing major changes from Clements, the Sibley–Ahlquist orders are as follows:
- Enlarged Struthioniformes replaces the ratite orders Rheiformes (rheas), Casuariiformes (cassowaries and emus), and Apterygiformes (kiwis) and Struthioniformes (ostriches).
- Tinamiformes (tinamous) is unchanged.
- A greatly enlarged Ciconiiformes includes the previous Sphenisciformes (divers), Podicipediformes (grebes), Procellariiformes (tubenoses), Pelecaniformes (pelicans and allies), Ciconiiformes (storks and allies), Falconiformes (birds of prey), Charadriiformes (waders, gulls, terns, and auks), and the family Pteroclidae (sandgrouse).
- Anseriformes (ducks and allies) is unchanged.
- Modified Galliformes landfowl. Chachalacas moved to Craciformes.
- New Craciformes chachalacas etc. Previously part of Galliformes.
- New Ralliformes crakes. Previously part of Gruiformes
- Modified Gruiformes Cranes. Rails and button-quails moved to Ralliformes and Turniciformes, respectively.
- New Turniciformes button-quailsetc. Previously part of Gruiformes.
- Modified Columbiformes doves. Sandgrouse moved to Ciconiiformes.
- Psittaciformes cockatoos and parrots unchanged.
- New Musophagiformes turacos. Previously part of Cuculiformes.
- Modified Cuculiformes cuckoos. Turacos moved to Musophagiformes.
- Modified Strigiformes owls. Enlarged to include Caprimulgiformes (nightjars, owlet-nightjars, frogmouths, oilbirds, potoos).
- Modified Apodiformes swifts. Hummingbirds moved to Trochiliformes.
- New Trochiliformes hummingbirds. Previously part of Apodiformes.
- Coliiformes mousebirds unchanged.
- Trogoniformes trogons unchanged.
- Modified Coraciiformes rollers.
- New Upupiformes Hoopoe. Previously part of Coraciiformes.
- New Bucerotiformes hornbills. Previously part of Coraciiformes.
- New Galbuliformes jacamars and puffbirds. Previously part of Piciformes.
- Modified Piciformes woodpeckers
- Passeriformes perching birdsunchanged.
Some of these changes are minor adjustments. For instance, instead of putting the swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds in the same order that includes nothing else, Sibley and Ahlquist put them in the same superorder that includes nothing else, consisting of one order for the hummingbirds and another for the swifts and treeswifts. In other words, they still regard the swifts as the hummingbirds' closest relatives.
Other changes are much more drastic. The penguins were traditionally regarded as distant from all other living birds. For instance, Wetmore put them in a superorder by themselves, with all other non-ratite birds in a different superorder. Sibley and Ahlquist, though, put penguins in the same superfamily as divers (loons), tubenoses, and frigatebirds. According to their phylogenetic analysis, penguins are closer to those birds than herons are to storks.[2]
The
Classification
Parvclass | Superorder | Order | Families | Note on current status |
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Infraclass Eoaves | ||||
Ratitae
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Struthioniformes |
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Tinamiformes
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Galloanserae
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Gallomorphae
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Craciformes
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Families included in Galliformes. |
Galliformes |
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Anserimorphae
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Anseriformes |
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Infraclass Neoaves | ||||
Turnicae
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Turniciformes
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Included in Charadriiformes. | |
Picae
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Piciformes |
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Coraciae | Galbulimorphae
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Galbuliformes
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Families included in Piciformes by most authorities. |
Bucerotimorphae
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Bucerotiformes |
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Upupiformes
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Families included in Bucerotiformes by most authorities. | ||
Coraciimorphae | Trogoniformes
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Coraciiformes |
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Coliae
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Coliiformes
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Passerae | Cuculimorphae
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Cuculiformes
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Opisthocomidae now place in own order, Opisthocomiformes .
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Psittacimorphae
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Psittaciformes
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Apodimorphae | Apodiformes |
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Included in Caprimulgiformes by most authorities.
Otherwise in enlarged Apodiformes. | |
Trochiliformes
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Strigimorphae
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Musophagiformes
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Strigiformes
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Strigiformes restricted to owls (Tytonidae, Strigidae)
Other families are placed in Caprimulgiformes .
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Passerimorphae
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Columbiformes
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Gruiformes |
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Gruiformes found to be polyphyletic:
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Ciconiiformes
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Ciconiiformes found to be polyphyletic and now restricted to storks (Ciconiidae).
The other families are distributed between:
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Passeriformes
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See also
- Molecular phylogenetics
- Phylogenetic nomenclature
- Charles Sibley
- Sibley–Monroe checklist
- List of birds (based on the Clements taxonomy)
References
- Clarke, J.A.; Tambussi, C.P.; Noriega, J.I.; Erickson, G.M. & Ketcham, R.A. (2005): Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous.
- Sibley, Charles Gald & Ahlquist, Jon Edward (1990): Phylogeny and classification of birds. Yale University Press, New Haven, Conn.
- On the Phylogeny and Classification of Living Birds, by Charles G. Sibley
- The Early History of Modern Birds Inferred from DNA Sequences of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Ribosomal Genes, by Marcel van Tuinen, Charles G. Sibley, and S. Blair Hedges
- Sibley's Classification of Birds, by Eric Salzman, Birding, December 1993. The Web version lacks the illustrations, which show parts of the family tree, and includes only a partial bibliography, but adds a sequence down to the tribe level with detail on intermediate taxa (especially for the passerines). Archived version