Aquaterraves

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
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Clade:	Neoaves
Clade:	Aquaterraves; Wu et al., 2024
Clades
	Aequorlitornithes Mirandornithes; Opisthocomiformes; Phaethoquornithes; ; Litusilvanae; Columbaves;

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]

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)

References

^ ^a ^b Wu, S.; Rheindt, F.E.; Zhang, J.; Wang, J.; Zhang, L.; Quan, C.; Zhiheng, L.; Wang, M.; Wu, F.; Qu, Y; Edwards, S.V.; Zhou, Z.; Liu, L. (2024). "Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (8). doi:10.1073/pnas.2319696121. PMC 10895254.

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[Wuetal2024-1] Wu, S.; Rheindt, F.E.; Zhang, J.; Wang, J.; Zhang, L.; Quan, C.; Zhiheng, L.; Wang, M.; Wu, F.; Qu, Y; Edwards, S.V.; Zhou, Z.; Liu, L. (2024). "Genomes, fossils, and the concurrent rise of modern birds and flowering plants in the Late Cretaceous". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (8). doi:10.1073/pnas.2319696121. PMC 10895254.

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