Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy

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The Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is a radical bird taxonomy based on DNA-DNA hybridization studies conducted in the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. DNA-DNA hybridization is among a class of comparative techniques in molecular biology that produce distance data (versus character data) and that can be analyzed to produce phylogenetic reconstructions only using phenetic tree-building algorithms. In DNA-DNA hybridization, the percent similarity of DNA between two species is estimated by the reduction in hydrogen bonding between nucleotides of imperfectly complemented heteroduplex DNA, (i.e., double stranded DNAs that are experimentally produced from single strands of two different species) compared with perfectly matched homoduplex DNA (both strands of DNA from the same species).

The classification appears to be cladistic because it codifies many intermediate levels of taxa: the "trunk" of the family tree is the class Aves, which branches into subclasses, which branch into infraclasses, and then parvclasses, superorders, orders, suborders, infraorders, parvorders, superfamilies, families, subfamilies, tribes, subtribes and finally genera and species. In fact, the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy is merely a highly subdivided hierarchical Linnaean classification; no cladistic methods were used in producing it.

The resulting arrangement differs greatly from the more traditional approach used in list of birds. More recently published phylogenetic reconstructions based on cladistic and maximum likelihood analyses of DNA sequences lend credence to some of the DNA-DNA hybridization-based taxonomy, e.g. the recognition of palaeognathous birds as monophyletic and sister to all others, and the recognition that fowl and waterfowl (Galloanserae) are one anothers' closest relatives and sister to the remainder of all birds, Neoaves. However, new studies also categorically reject many of the rearrangements in the Sibley-Ahlquist classification, e.g., the all-encompassing order Ciconiiformes, placement of buttonquails at the base of Neoaves, and the monophyly of various clades of songbirds, to name a few. Even DNA-DNA hybridization studies produced more recently in other laboratories disagree with some of Sibley and Ahlquist's results, e.g., inclusion of the limpkin in the sungrebe family, and the placement of flamingos near storks rather than next to grebes.

The major changes at order level are as follows:

• Enlarged Struthioniformes replaces the ratite orders Rheiformes (rheas), Casuariiformes (cassowaries), and Apterygiformes (kiwis) and Struthioniformes (ostriches).

• Tinamiformes (tinamous) is unchanged.

• A new, greatly enlarged Ciconiiformes includes the previous Sphenisciformes (penguins), Gaviiformes (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.

• New Craciformes chachalacas etc. Previously Galliformes

• New Gruiformes Cranes

• New Turniciformes button-quails etc. Previously Gruiformes

• Columbiformes doves. Sandgrouse moved to Ciconiiformes.

• Psittaciformes cockatoos and parrots unchanged

• New Musophagiformes turacos. Previously Cuculiformes.

• New Cuculiformes rest of cuckoos

• New Strigiformes owls enlarged to include Caprimulgiformes nightjars

• New Apodiformes swifts

• New Trochiliformes hummingbirds. Previously Apodiformes.

• Coliiformes mousebirds unchanged

• Trogoniformes trogons unchanged

• New Coraciiformes rollers

• New Upupiformes Hoopoe, previously Coraciiformes

• New Bucerotiformes hornbills, previously Coraciiformes

• New Galbuliformes jacamars and puffbirds, previously Piciformes

• Piciformes woodpeckers

• Passeriformes perching birds unchanged.

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; that is, penguins are closer to those birds than herons are to storks.

This revolutionary reordering has been widely accepted by North American ornithologists, and the American Ornithologists' Union has adopted some of its provisions, but in other parts of the world its adoption has been more deliberative: it has been a respected major influence on existing classification schemes.

A more recent paper by van Tuinen, Sibley, and Hedges looked in more detail at the early ancestry of bird groups. The traditional view of avian evolution places ratites and tinamous at the base of the tree of modern birds (Neornithes), followed by old marine groups such as the penguins, grebes and divers.

The new research suggested that the ducks and gallinaceous birds are each other's closest relatives and together form the basal lineage of neognathous (non-ratite) birds. The ratites and tinamous will now be followed by the ducks and their allies, and then the pheasants and their allies. Penguins, grebes and divers are placed with other groups that were traditionally considered more modern.

This latter research has been accepted by the British Ornithologists' Union, and the British list will now start with Anseriformes and Galliformes.

Contents 1 Paleognathae 1.1 Ratitae 1.1.1 Struthioniformes 1.1.2 Tinamiformes 2 Neognathae 2.1 Galloanserae 2.1.1 Gallomorphae 2.1.1.1 Craciformes 2.1.1.2 Galliformes 2.1.2 Anserimorphae 2.1.2.1 Anseriformes 2.2 Turnicae 2.2.1 Turniciformes 2.3 Picae 2.3.1 Piciformes 2.4 Coraciae 2.4.1 Galbulimorphae 2.4.1.1 Galbuliformes 2.4.2 Bucerotimorphae 2.4.2.1 Bucerotiformes 2.4.2.2 Upupiformes 2.4.3 Coraciimorphae 2.4.3.1 Trogoniformes 2.4.3.2 Coraciiformes 2.5 Coliae 2.5.1 Coliiformes 2.6 Passerae 2.6.1 Cuculimorphae 2.6.1.1 Cuculiformes 2.6.2 Psittacimorphae 2.6.2.1 Psittaciformes 2.6.3 Apodimorphae 2.6.3.1 Apodiformes 2.6.3.2 Trochiliformes 2.6.4 Strigimorphae 2.6.4.1 Musophagiformes 2.6.4.2 Strigiformes 2.6.5 Passerimorphae 2.6.5.1 Columbiformes 2.6.5.2 Gruiformes 2.6.5.3 Ciconiiformes 2.6.5.4 Passeriformes 3 See also 4 References

[edit] Paleognathae

[edit] Ratitae

[edit] Struthioniformes

1. Struthionidae
2. Rheidae
3. Casuariidae
4. Apterygidae

[edit] Tinamiformes

1. Tinamidae

[edit] Neognathae

[edit] Galloanserae

[edit] Gallomorphae

[edit] Craciformes

1. Cracidae
2. Megapodiidae

[edit] Galliformes

1. Phasianidae
2. Numididae
3. Odontophoridae

[edit] Anserimorphae

[edit] Anseriformes

1. Anhimidae
2. Anseranatidae
3. Dendrocygnidae
4. Anatidae

[edit] Turnicae

[edit] Turniciformes

1. Turnicidae

[edit] Picae

[edit] Piciformes

1. Indicatoridae
2. Picidae
3. Megalaimidae
4. Lybiidae
5. Ramphastidae

[edit] Coraciae

[edit] Galbulimorphae

[edit] Galbuliformes

1. Galbulidae
2. Bucconidae

[edit] Bucerotimorphae

[edit] Bucerotiformes

1. Bucerotidae
2. Bucorvidae

[edit] Upupiformes

1. Upupidae
2. Phoeniculidae
3. Rhinopomastidae

[edit] Coraciimorphae

[edit] Trogoniformes

1. Trogonidae

[edit] Coraciiformes

1. Coraciidae
2. Brachypteraciidae
3. Leptosomidae
4. Todidae
5. Alcedinidae
6. Halcyonidae
7. Cerylidae
8. Meropidae

[edit] Coliae

[edit] Coliiformes

1. Coliidae

[edit] Passerae

[edit] Cuculimorphae

[edit] Cuculiformes

1. Cuculidae
2. Centropodidae
3. Coccyzidae
4. Opisthocomidae
5. Crotophagidae
6. Neomorphidae

[edit] Psittacimorphae

[edit] Psittaciformes

1. Psittacidae

[edit] Apodimorphae

[edit] Apodiformes

1. Apodidae
2. Hemiprocnidae

[edit] Trochiliformes

1. Trochilidae

[edit] Strigimorphae

[edit] Musophagiformes

1. Musophagidae

[edit] Strigiformes

1. Tytonidae
2. Strigidae
3. Aegothelidae
4. Podargidae
5. Batrachostomidae
6. Steatornithidae
7. Nyctibiidae
8. Eurostopodidae
9. Caprimulgidae

[edit] Passerimorphae

[edit] Columbiformes

1. Raphidae
2. Columbidae

[edit] Gruiformes

1. Eurypygidae
2. Otididae
3. Gruidae
4. Aramidae
5. Heliornithidae
6. Psophiidae
7. Cariamidae
8. Rhynochetidae
9. Rallidae
10. Mesitornithidae

[edit] Ciconiiformes

1. Pteroclidae
2. Thinocoridae
3. Pedionomidae
4. Scolopacidae
5. Rostratulidae
6. Jacanidae
7. Chionidae
8. Pluvianellidae
9. Burhinidae
10. Charadriidae
11. Glareolidae
12. Laridae
13. Accipitridae
14. Sagittariidae
15. Falconidae
16. Podicipedidae
17. Phaethontidae
18. Sulidae
19. Anhingidae
20. Phalacrocoracidae
21. Ardeidae
22. Scopidae
23. Phoenicopteridae
24. Threskiornithidae
25. Pelecanidae
26. Ciconiidae
27. Fregatidae
28. Spheniscidae
29. Gaviidae
30. Procellariidae

[edit] Passeriformes

1. Acanthisittidae
2. Pittidae
3. Eurylaimidae
4. Philepittidae
5. Sapayoidae
6. Tyrannidae
7. Thamnophilidae
8. Furnariidae
9. Formicariidae
10. Conopophagidae
11. Rhinocryptidae
12. Climacteridae
13. Menuridae
14. Ptilonorhynchidae
15. Maluridae
16. Meliphagidae
17. Pardalotidae
18. Petroicidae
19. Irenidae
20. Orthonychidae
21. Pomatostomidae
22. Laniidae
23. Vireonidae
24. Corvidae
25. Callaeatidae
26. Picathartidae
27. Bombycillidae
28. Cinclidae
29. Muscicapidae
30. Sturnidae
31. Sittidae
32. Certhiidae
33. Paridae
34. Aegithalidae
35. Hirundinidae
36. Regulidae
37. Pycnonotidae
38. Hypocoliidae
39. Cisticolidae
40. Zosteropidae
41. Sylviidae
42. Alaudidae
43. Nectariniidae
44. Melanocharitidae
45. Paramythiidae
46. Passeridae
47. Motacillidae
48. Fringillidae

[edit] See also

• Charles Sibley
• The Sibley-Monroe checklist, multiple parts:
  • part 1 - Struthionidae to Odontophoridae
  • part 2 - Anhimidae to Picidae
  • part 3 - Megalaimidae to Todidae
  • part 4 - Alcedinidae to Psittacidae
  • part 5 - Apodidae to Musophagidae
  • part 6 - Tytonidae to Columbidae
  • part 7 - Eurypygidae to Jacanidae
  • part 8 - Chionididae to Falconidae
  • part 9 - Podicipedidae to Hydrobatidae
  • part 10 - Acanthisittidae to Tyrannidae
  • part 11 - Thamnophilidae to Rhinocryptidae
  • part 12 - Climacteridae to Vireonidae
  • part 13 - Corvidae
  • part 14 - Callaeidae to Sturnidae
  • part 15 - Sittidae to Cisticolidae
  • part 16 - Zosteropidae
  • part 17 - Alaudidae to Passeridae
  • part 18 - Fringillidae

[edit] References

• Sibley, C. G., and J. Ahlquist. 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).

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