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This is an archived version of a Tree of Life page. For up-to-date information, please refer to the current version of this page.

Neoaves

David P. Mindell and Joseph W. Brown
White-faced Owl, Ptilopsis leucotisGreat Blue Heron, Ardea herodiasVariable Sunbird
taxon links [down<--]Neornithes [up-->]Gruiformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Ciconiiformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Pelecaniformes [up-->]Charadriiformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Falconiformes [up-->]Procellariiformes [up-->]Sphenisciformes [up-->]Strigiformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Apodiformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Caprimulgiformes [up-->]Columbiformes [up-->]Psittaciformes [up-->]Piciformes Not Monophyletic [up-->]Coraciiformes [up-->]Passeriformes Interpreting the tree
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This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms.

The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right.

example of a tree diagram

You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species.

For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification. To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages.

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Summary phylogenetic hypothesis for avian orders based on numerous studies, both molecular and morphological, reviewed in Cracraft et al. (2004). This hypothesis remains a "work in progress."
Containing group: Neornithes

References

Cracraft, J., F. Keith Barker, M. J. Braun, J. Harshman, G. Dyke, J. Feinstein, S. Stanley, A. Cibois, P. Schikler, P. Beresford, J. Garc?a-Moreno, M. D. Sorenson, T. Yuri, and D. P. Mindell. 2004. Phylogenetic Relationships Among Modern Birds (Neornithes): Toward an Avian Tree of Life. Pp 468-489 in Cracraft, J. and M. J. Donoghue (eds.), Assembling the Tree of Life. Oxford University Press, New York.

Title Illustrations
White-faced Owl, Ptilopsis leucotis
Scientific Name Ptilopsis leucotis
Location Botswana (Okavango Delta), Southern Africa
Comments White-faced Owl
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Copyright © 1997 Greg and Marybeth Dimijian
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
Scientific Name Ardea herodias
Location Texas coast
Comments Great Blue Heron
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Behavior flying
Copyright © 1997 Greg and Marybeth Dimijian
Variable Sunbird
Scientific Name Nectarinia venusta
Location Mount Kenya, Kenya, East Africa
Comments Variable Sunbird
Specimen Condition Live Specimen
Behavior feeding
Sex Male
Copyright © 1997 Greg and Marybeth Dimijian
About This Page

David P. Mindell

Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

Joseph W. Brown

Museum of Zoology and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1079

Citing this page:

Mindell, David P. and Brown, Joseph W. 2005. Neoaves. Version 14 December 2005 (temporary). http://tolweb.org/Neoaves/26305/2005.12.14 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/

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This page is a Tree of Life Branch Page.

Each ToL branch page provides a synopsis of the characteristics of a group of organisms representing a branch of the Tree of Life. The major distinction between a branch and a leaf of the Tree of Life is that each branch can be further subdivided into descendent branches, that is, subgroups representing distinct genetic lineages.

For a more detailed explanation of the different ToL page types, have a look at the Structure of the Tree of Life page.

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