Re: Big birds on Paleoworld

[ornstn@inforamp.net (Ronald Orenstein)]

>What about the idea that teratorns, condors, and other new world vultures 
>are actually related to storks?  BTW, do herons fit here as well?  Can 
>anyone give me a good ref for an updated, in-depth bird classification?
>

The classification of birds is presently in a great state of controversy and
flux, particularly as a result of the DNA-based classification system
proposed by Charles Sibley, John Ahlquist and the late Burt Monroe Jr.  They
have published two books: Phylogeny and Classification of Birds (Sibley and
Ahlquist) and Distribution and Taxonomy of the Birds of the World (Sibley
and Monroe), plus a supplement to the latter. The first explains their work;
the second is a world checklist with extensive notes.  However, many other
books, including the Handbook of the Birds of the World (two volumes
published so far by Lynx Ediciones), have chosen not to follow at least the
ordinal classification Sibley proposes.

However, although the resulting rearrangement doesn't show up in most books,
there is broad acceptance of the view that the cathartid (new world)
vultures, storks and (presumably) teratorns are each other's closest
relatives.  By this view the herons are more distant.  Sibley and Monroe
classify them in this way:

Class Aves
Order Ciconiiformes (traditionally this order is restricted to herons,
storks, ibises  and a few other groups but here it is greatly broadened to
include shorebirds, gulls, hawks, grebes and most seabirds)
Suborder Ciconii (the above minus the shorebirds and gulls)
    Infraorder Falconides (hawks, falcons etc)
    Infraorder Ciconiides
        Parvorder Podicipedida (grebes)
        Parvorder Phaethontida (tropicbirds)
        Parvorder Sulida (boobies. anhingas and cormorants)
        Parvorder Ciconiida
              Superfamily Ardeoidea (herons)
              Superfamily Scopoidea (hammerkop)
              Superfamily Phoenicopteroidea (flamingos)
              Superfamily Threskiornithoidea (ibises and spoonbills)
              Superfamily Pelecanoidea (pelicans, shoebill)
              Superfamily Ciconoidea
                      Family Ciconiidae
                               Subfamily Cathartinae (new world vultures)
                               Subfamily Ciconiidae (storks)
               Superfamily Procellarioidea (frigatebirds, penguins, loons,
albatrosses, petrels)

As this is a classification of living birds the teratorns are not included.
Bear in mind that this is a VERY different classification from the one in
most books on birds!
--
Ronald I. Orenstein                           Phone: (905) 820-7886 (home)
International Wildlife Coalition              Fax/Modem: (905) 569-0116 (home)
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