Galliformes

The 44 Orders

Paleognaths

Galloanserae

Metaves

Pelecanae

Charadriae

Passerae

GALLIFORMES

The Galliformes are sister to the Anseriformes. Together, they are sister to Neoaves.

The arrangement of Galliform families follows the recent genetic analyses of Crowe et al. (2006a), Cox et al. (2007) and Hackett et al. (2008). It is also consistent with Kaiser et al. (2007) and Kriegs et al. (2007), who analyze retropositions. Of the two, Kriegs et al. is more complete, and exhibits the same basic structure as the tree here. Since it is a different method of reading the genetic data, it represents significant additional support for the current arrangement of Galliform families. Nonetheless, there is still some question about whether the Numidade branch off before or after the Odontophoridae (e.g., Shen et al., 2010).

The Galliform tree takes the form of a cascade, with one group breaking off at a time until you get to the Phasianidae. It starts with the megapodes, then the Cracidae (guans, chachalacas, and currassows), guineafowl, and finally new world quail, all before we get to the Phasianidae. A number of genera have been rearranged or split compared with previous treatments.

The megapode arrangement is based on Birks and Edwards (2002). The New World quail are arranged based on the tree in Eo et al. (2009). Only half of that tree seems to be based on DNA.

Galliformes
Click for genus-level tree
for Galliformes

The order within the Phasianidae is more of a problem. This version relies on the analysis by Shen et al. (2010) which examined complete mitochondrial genomes of 34 galliform species. Since many taxa were not included, I use Shen et al. as a basic framework, with the individual clades fleshed out by Crowe et al. (2006a, b), Kimball and Braun (2008), and Meng et al. (2008). This results in 4 subfamiles. How to piece together the Phasianinae subfamily has been a little tricky. Crowe et al. (2006a) suggested that the turkeys and Perdix partridges might be sister genera. I follow the multigene analysis of Kimball and Braun (2008). The subfamily Phasianinae is their “erectile clade”. I have divided it into tribes to better show the relationships of the various groups. As you can see by their membership, these tribes generally correspond to what we think of as natural groupings. Bao et al. (2010) is generally consistent with the present arrangement of the Phasianini.

Some of the species have also had to move to new genera. Crowe et al. (2006a) found two species that were quite wrongly placed: the Stone Partridge (Ptilopachus petrosus) and Nahan's Francolin (now Nahan's Partridge, Ptilopachus nahani), both of which ended up in the new world quail (Odontophoridae). When Crowe et al. (1992, with a different set of co-authors) had reorganized the francolins, they noted that Nahan's Francolin didn't appear to be a francolin. That reorganization is mostly supported by the new paper, but one other francolin proved problematic. The Crested Francolin, which they had already reassigned to the genus Peliperdix, is now Dendroperdix sephaena, although it remains in the francolin subfamily, Gallinae.

Eo et al. (2009) draws attention to several genera that are currently regarded as part of Phasianidae (Haematortyx, Melanoperdix, Rhizothera, Galloperdix). While it suggests closer scrutiny of these genera is in order, I don't buy the arrangement of them in the paper. I think it's an artifact of the supertree method. In particular, the genetic results in Crowe et al. (2006a), which seem to be the only genetic analyses bearing on this, find that the Ptilopachus-Odontophoridae clade is sister to the Phasianidae, which is why I've moved Ptilopachus into Odontophoridae. They did not find Phasianidae nested within the Ptilopachus-Odontophoridae clade. I'm leaving the other genera highlighted by Eo et al. in Phasianidae for now, but we should keep in mind that some or all may too belong in Odontophoridae.

Megapodiidae: Megapodes

7 genera, 22 species HBW-2

Cracidae: Chachalacas, Currassows, Guans

9 genera, 50 species HBW-2

Numididae: Guineafowl

4 genera, 6 species HBW-2

Odontophoridae: New World Quail

10 genera, 34 species HBW-2

Phasianidae: Turkeys, Grouse, Pheasants, Partridges

53 genera, 183 species HBW-2

Rollulinae: Asiatic Partridges

Polyplectroninae: Peacock-Pheasants

Gallinae: Fowl, Francolins, Partridges, Quail

Pavonini: Peafowl

Gallini: Junglefowl, Francolins

Tetraogallini: Old World Partridges and Quail, Spurfowl

Phasianinae: Pheasants, Grouse, Turkeys

Ithaginini: Blood Pheasant

Lophophorini: Monals and Tragopans

Meleagrini: Turkeys

Tetraonini: Grouse

Phasianini: Pheasants, Perdix Partridges

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