Species-Level Phylogenetics of Avian Orders

Introduction
Use of characters of the phenotype, principally anatomical, for the reconstruction of evolutionary history or phylogeny, has a long history in zoology. Beginning with a need for a phylogeny of waterfowl for study of flightlessness, I have undertaken a number of phylogenetic analyses of single avian orders. Notable among these are species-level analyses of the orders Anseriformes, Gruiformes, and Charadriiformes.

See:
Livezey BC. 1995. Heterochrony and the evolution of avian flightlessness. Pp. 169–193 in Evolutionary Change and Heterochrony (McNamara KJ, ed.) J. Wiley, London.

Waterfowl (Anseriformes)

Doctoral study of a South American ducks—steamer-ducks (Tachyeres)—led to a phylogenetic analysis of modern waterfowl, this based on morphological data. Upon publication in 1986, the seminal paper represented the largest cladistic analysis of any avian group using morphological data to be published anywhere to our knowledge, and the classification presented there and in subsequent works were adopted by most field guides and books on waterfowl from that time and into the 21st century.

See:

• Livezey BC. 1986. A phylogenetic analysis of Recent anseriform genera using morphological characters. Auk 105: 681–698.
• Livezey BC. 1989. Phylogenetic relationships of several subfossil Anseriformes of New Zealand. University of Kansas Museum of Natural History Occasional Paper 128: 1–25.
• Livezey BC. 1991. A phylogenetic analysis and classification of Recent dabbling ducks (Tribe Anatini) based on comparative morphology. Auk 108: 471–508.
• Livezey BC. 1995a. A phylogenetic analysis of the whistling and white-backed ducks (Anatidae: Dendrocygninae) using morphological characters. Annals of Carnegie Museum 64: 65–97.
• Livezey BC. 1995b. Phylogeny and evolutionary ecology of modern seaducks (Anatidae: Mergini). Condor 97: 233–255.
• Livezey BC. 1995c. Phylogeny and comparative ecology of stiff-tailed ducks (Anatidae: Oxyurini). Wilson Bulletin 107: 214–234.
• Livezey BC. 1996a. A phylogenetic analysis of the geese and swans (Anseriformes: Anserinae), including selected fossil species. Systematic Biology 45: 415–450.
• Livezey BC. 1996b. A phylogenetic reassessment of the tadornine-anatine divergence (Aves: Anseriformes, Anatidae). Annals of Carnegie Museum 65: 27–88.
• Livezey BC. 1996c. A phylogenetic analysis of modern pochards (Anatidae: Aythyini). Auk 113: 74–93.
• Livezey BC. 1997a. A phylogenetic analysis of basal Anseriformes, the fossil Presbyornis, and the interordinal relationships of waterfowl. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 121: 361–428.
• Livezey BC. 1997b. A phylogenetic analysis of modern shelducks and sheldgeese (Anatidae, Tadornini). Ibis 139: 51–66.
• Livezey BC. 1997c. An annotated phylogenetic classification of waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes), including selected fossil species. Annals of Carnegie Museum 67: 457–496.
• Livezey BC. 1998. Erratum. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 124: 397–398.
• Livezey BC, Martin LD. 1988. The systematic position of the Miocene anatid Anas[?] blanchardi Milne-Edwards. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 8: 196–211.
• Zusi RL, Livezey BC. 2000. Homology and phylogenetic implications of some enigmatic cranial features in galliform and anseriform birds. Annals of Carnegie Museum 69: 157–193.

Rails And Allies (Gruiformes)

The taxonomic family of birds that is richest in flightless members is the Rallidae. An essential prerequisite for the reconstruction of the evolution of flightlessness in rails was a species-level phylogeny for the Rallidae. As part of an NSF-supported study of flightlessness in rails, resources were provided for the undertaking of a phylogenetic analysis of rails using morphological data.

See:

• Livezey BC. 1998. A phylogenetic analysis of the Gruiformes (Aves) based on morphological characters, with an emphasis on the rails (Rallidae). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London (Series B, Biological Sciences) 353: 2077–2151.
• Livezey BC. 2003. Evolution of flightlessness in rails (Gruiformes: Rallidae): phylogenetic, ecomorphological, and ontogenetic perspectives. Ornithological Monographs 53: 1–654.

Shorebirds (Charadriiformes)

Upon completion of the phylogenetic analysis of higher-order groups of birds (Livezey and Zusi 2006, 2007), the shorebirds were revealed to be the most poorly resolved of modern orders with respect to phylogeny. This circumstance and multiple ancillary evolutionary problems of the group prompted a species-level analysis of the order using over 1,000 morphological characters, one that resulted in a extremely well resolved tree. This tree should prove critical for multiple interests of ornithologists around the world, including the evolution of sexual dimorphism, plumage patterns, reproductive parameters, mating systems, and migratory ecology.

See:

• Livezey, B. C. 2009. Phylogenetics of modern shorebirds (Charadriiformes) based on phenotypic evidence: I—Characterization. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History 40: 1–96.
• Livezey, B. C. 2010. Phylogenetics of modern shorebirds (Charadriiformes) based on phenotypic evidence: analysis and discussion. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 160: in press.

Hornbills (Coraciiformes: Bucerotes)

Hornbills are large, colorful denizens of the tropical regions of much of the Old World. Widely known for their large colorful bills and casques, their dependence on forest habitats and deforestation throughout their distributional range has resulted in many species having been classified as threatened or endangered. A morphologically based phylogenetic analysis of this group, in combination with ecomorphological attributes of member species, was performed to provide an evolutionary and biogeographical basis for the study and conservation of these unique birds.

See:
Livezey BC. 2011. Phenotypic phylogenetics of hornbills (Coraciiformes: Bucerotidae): a paleotropical radiation of sedentary avian omnivores. Bulletin of Carnegie Museum of Natural History, in prep.

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