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CLASS AVES I. Sub-class Archaeornithes.—The three fingers and their metacarpals remain See also:separate, each with a claw. Well-See also:developed remiges. Both jaws with alveolar See also:teeth. Amphicoelous. Caudal vertebrae more than thirteen, without a pygostyle, but with about twelve pairs of rectrices. See also:Archaeopteryx, A. lithographica, s. macroura, two specimens from the upper Oolite of Solenhofen, See also:Bavaria. II. Sub-class Neornithes.—Metacarpals fused. Second See also:finger the longest. Not more than thirteen caudal vertebrae. I. See also:Division See also:RATITAE.—Terrestrial, flightless. Without sternal See also:keel. Quadrate See also:bone with single proximal knob. With-out pygostyle. Coracoid and scapula fused. See also:Compound rhamphotheca. Adult without apteria. With copulatory See also:organ. A collective polyphyletic or heterogeneous See also:group, originally See also:cosmopolitan; with certainty existing since the See also:Miocene. 1. See also:Order Struthiones.—With pubic symphysis. Two toes only, third and See also:fourth. Struthio, See also:ostrich, See also:Pliocene of See also:Samos and of See also:north-See also:west See also:India, now See also:Africa and See also:Arabia. 2. Order Rheae.—With See also:long ischiadic symphysis. Three toes. Mesembriornis, Miocene or Pliocene of See also:Argentina. See also:Rhea, See also:South See also:America. 3. Order Casuarii.—Three toes. Aftershaft as long as the other I See also:half. Casuarius and Dromaeus, Australian. Hypselornis, Pliocene of Sivalik Hills. 4. Order Apteryges.—Four toes. See also:Bill long and slender. Apteryx, New See also:Zealand. 5, Order Dinornithes.—Three or four toes. Bill See also:short. Anterior limbs extremely reduced. Dinornis, numerous See also:species, recently See also:extinct, New Zealand. 6. Order Aepyornithes. Aenyornis, recently extinct, See also:Madagascar. To the Ratitae belong possibly also the imperfectly known Diatryma, See also:Eocene of New See also:Mexico, Gastornis and Dasornis, Eocene of See also:Europe, Genyornis, See also:Pleistocene of See also:Australia. II. Division See also:ODONTOLcAE.--Marine, flightless, without sternal keel. Upper and See also:lower jaws with teeth in furrows. Cretaceous See also:epoch. Enaliornis, See also:England, vertebrae chiefly biconcave; Hesperornis, North America, vertebrae heterocoelous. 1. Order Ichthyomithes.—Power of See also:flight well developed. Vertebrae still amphicoelous. With small pygostyle. Incisura ischiadica. With alveolar teeth. Cretaceous of See also:Kansas. Ichthyornis, Apatornis. 2. Order Colymbiformes.—Plantigrade, nidifugous, aquatic. All toes webbed, fourth largest, hallux short; metatarsus laterally compressed ; See also:tibia with high, pyramidal See also:crest. Bill straight, pointed, with See also:simple sheath. Sub-order 1. COLYMBI, See also:Divers. Front toes completely webbed. Holarctic. Colymbus. Sub-order 2. PODICIPEDES, Grebes. Toes lobated. Cosmopolitan. 3. Order Sphenisciformes.—Nidicolous, marine. Fiightless, wings transformed into See also:rowing paddles. SPHENISCI, penguins. See also:Antarctic and See also:southern temperate coasts. Since the Eocene. 4. Order Procellariiformes.—Well flying, pelagic, nidicolous. Hallux absent or vestigial. Rhamphotheca compound. Cosmopolitan. TUBINARES, petrels and albatrosses. 5. Order Ciconiiformes.—Swimmers or waders. Desmognathous, without basipterygoid processes; with one pair of sternotracheal muscles. Sub-order 1. STEGANOPODES.— Well flying, aquatic, nidicolous; with all the four toes webbed together. Rhamphotheca compound; cosmopolitan. See also:Phaethon, tropic-See also:bird; Sula, See also:gannet; Phalacrocorax, See also:cormorant and Plotus, snake-bird; Fregata, See also:frigate-bird; Pelecanus. Here also Pelagornis, Miocene of See also:France; Argillornis and probably Odontopteryx from the See also:London See also:Clay. Sub-order 2. ARDEAE.—Piscivorous, nidicolous, waders; with complicated hypotarsus and with long cervical apteria. Ardeidae, cosmopolitan; including Cancroma, Neotropical, Balaeniceps, Scopidae, Ethiopian. Proherodius, Eocene of England. Sub-order 3. CIcoNIAE.—Zoophagous, nidicolous, waders; with simple hypotarsus and without cervical apteria. Cosmopolitan. Ciconiidae, storks. Ibidae, ibises and spoonbills. Propelargus, Oligocene. Sub-order 4. PHOENICOPTERI.—Flamingos. Nidifugous, waders; with simple hypotarsus and without cervical apteria. Front toes completely webbed ; hallux very short or absent; feed chiefly on small aquatic invertebrates. Phoenicopterus, cosmopolitan. Oligocene Elornis and, allied, Palaelodus. 6. Order Anseriformes.—Desmognathous, nidifugous; with two pairs of sterno-tracheal muscles, with See also:complete basipterygoid processes and with a penis. Sub-order 1. PALAMEDEAE.—Screamers. Ribs without uncinate processes. Hypotarsus simple. Neotropical. Chauna, Palamedea. Sub-order 2. ANSERES.—Family Anatidae. Hypotarsus complex. Anser, Anas, See also:Cygnus, since Miocene.
Cnemiornis, Pleistocene, New Zealand, flightless.
7. Order Falconiformes.—Birds of See also:prey. Carnivorous, desmognathous, nidicolous, without functional caeca. Terrestrial, aerial.
Sub-order 1. CATHARTAE.—American vultures. With See also:nares perviae. Cathartes, See also:turkey buzzards, Sarcorhamphus gryphus, See also:condor Gypagus papa, See also: Serpentariidae, secretary-bird, Ethiopian; Miocene, France. Vulturidae, Old See also:World vultures, excluding Australia. Falconidae, cosmopolitan, since the Eocene. Harpagornis, Pleistocene, New Zealand; Lithornis, Eocene, England. Pandionidae, ospreys or See also:fish See also:hawks, cosmopolitan. S. Order Tinamiformes.—Nidifugous, with incisura ischiadica, without pygostyle. Herbivorous, terrestrial, neotropical. Crypturi, tinamous. 9. Order Galliformes.—Schizognathous, herbivorous, terrestrial. With ten functional remiges. With strong spinae sterni. Sub-order I. MEsITEs.—Without basipterygoid processes, and with large See also:spina interna. Mesites, Madagascar. Sub-order 2. TURNICES.—Hemipodes or See also:button-quails. Nidifugous; vomer large; sternum without processus obliqui. Hallux absent or vestigial. Old World. Turnix, Pedionomus. Sub-order 3. GALLI.—With large spina communis, and with large processus obliqui. Hallux functional. Mega- podiidae, Australian region. Cracidae, curassows and guans, neotropical. Gallidae, cosmopolitan. Sub-order 4. OPIsTUocoMI.—Arboreal, with long spina externa; without basipterygoid processes. Opisthocomus hoatzin, See also:Guiana, See also:Venezuela and See also:Amazon countries. so. Order Gruiformes. Legs of the wading type. Without basipterygoid processes. Without spina interna. Nidifugous. Essentially schizognathous. Ralhdae, cosmopolitan, since Oligocene. Rallus, Fulica, Ocydromus, &c., Gallinula nesiotis, See also:Tristan d'Acunha, flightless. Notornis, New Zealand, flight-less, nearly extinct. Aptornis, New Zealand, flightless, extinct. Aphanapteryx (See also:Mauritius) = Erythromachus (See also:Rodriguez) = Diaphorapteryx (See also:Chatham See also:Island), flightless and recently extinct. Gypsornis, upper Eocene, France. Gruidae, See also:cranes, cosmopolitan, allied See also:Phororhacos, See also:Tertiary of Argentina. Dicholophidae, cariamas, neotropical. Otididae, bustards, Old World. Rhinochetidae, kagus, New See also:Caledonia. Eurypygidae, See also:sun-See also:bittern, neotropical. Heliornithidae, finfoots, tropical. I t. Order Charadriiformes.—Schizognathous. With eleven remiges, of which the terminal very short. Aquinto-cubital. Spinae sterni short, separate. Sub-order 1. LIMIcoLAE.—Nidifugous, without spina interna sterni. Hypotarsus complicated. Charadrisdae, plovers. Chionididae, sheath-bill. Glareolidae, wading swallows and coursers. Thinocorythidae, See also:seed-snipes. Oedicnemididae, thick-knees. Parridae. Sub-order 2. LARI.—Aquatic, vomer complete. Without basipterygoid processes. Front toes webbed; hallux small or absent. Large supraorbital glands. Since Miocene. Laridae, gulls, cosmopolitan. Alcidae, auks, See also:northern half of periarctic region. Sub-order 3. PTERocLEs.—Sand-See also:grouse. Nidifugous. Vomer vestigial. With large See also:crop and caeca. Hallux vestigial or absent since Oligocene. Africa to India, and See also:Siberia. Pterocles and Syrrhaptes. Sub-order 4. COLUMBAE.—Pigeons. Nidicolous. Vomer vestigial. With large crop, vestigial caeca. Columbidae, cosmopolitan, since Miocene. Dididae, flightless, recently extinct. Did us, See also:dodo, Mauritius. Pezophaps, See also:solitaire, Rodriguez. 12. Order Cuculiformes.—Desmognathous, nidicolous; zygodactylous, or with the See also:outer toe reversible. Sub-order t. See also:Comm.—Cuckoos. Quinto-cubital. Cuculidae, cosmopolitan. Musophagidae, See also:plantain-eaters and touracos, Ethiopian since Miocene. Sub-order 2. PSITTACI.—Parrots. Zygodactylous; aquintocubital. Cosmopolitan, chiefly tropical. Trichoglossidae, lories, Austro-Malayan. See also:Nestor, New Zealand. Cyclopsittacus, Eos, Lorius, &c. Psittacidae, See also:tongue smooth, incl. Stringops. 13. Order Coraciiformes.—Nidicolous. Nares imperviae, holorhinal. See also:Downs restricted to the apteria or absent. Thirteen to fifteen cervical vertebrae. Mostly desmognathous. Deep plantar tendons connected with each other. Sub-order I. CoRACIAE.—Either (I) with long spina externa sterni, Coraciidae, rollers, Old World. Momotidae, neotropical, motmots and todies. Alcedinidae, king-fishers, cosmopolitan or (2) with long spina communis. Meropidae, See also:bee-eaters, Old World. Upupidae, Upupinae, hoopoes: palaearctic and palaeotropical. Bucerotinae, hornbills, palaeotropical; Irrisorinae, woodhoopoes, Ethiopian. Sub-order 2. STRIGES.—Owls. Outer toe reversible. Schizognathous. Long caeca. Flexor tendons normal. Hypotarsus simple. Cosmopolitan. Sub-order. 3, CAPRIMuLGI.—Nightjars. Nocturnal. With gaping mouth. Ten remiges and ten rectrices. Spinae sterni vestigial. Caeca functional. Steatornithidae, Steatornis, oil-bird or See also:guacharo, South America. Podargidae, Australasian, Caprimulgidae, cosmopolitan. Sub-order 4. CYPsELI.—Tenth terminal remex the longest. With short spinae sterni. Without caeca. Cypselidae, swifts, cosmopolitan. Trochilidae, humming-birds, See also:American. Sub-order 5. CoLII.—Mouse-birds. First and fourth toes reversible. Ethiopian. Sub-order 6. TROGONES.—Trogons. Heterodactyle, first and second toes directed forwards, third and fourth backwards. Tropical. See also:Trogon gallicus, Miocene of France. Sub-order 7. PIc1.—Zygodactylous. Tendon of the flexor hallucis See also:longus muscle sending a strong vinculum to that of the flexor profundus muscle, the tendon of which goes to the third toe only. Galbulidae, puff-birds and jacamars, neotropical. Capilonidae, barbets, tropical. Rhamphastidae, toucans, neotropical. Picidae, See also:wood-peckers, cosmopolitan, excepting Madagascar and Australian region. 14. Order Passeriformes.—Nidicolous. Aegithognathous, without basipterygoid processes. Spina externa sterni large, spina interna absent. Quinto-cubital, toes normal. Apparently since the upper Eocene. Sub-order I. PASSERES ANISOMYODAE.—SyrinX muscles entirely lateral or attached to the dorsal or ventral corners of the bronchial semi-rings. (i) Subclamatores. Deep plantar tendons connected by a vinculum. Eurylaemidae, broad-bills, See also:Indian and Indo-Malayan. (2) Clamatores. Deep flexor tendons not connected. Pittidae, palaeotropical. Xenicidae, New Zealand. Tyrannidae, American, Formicariidae, Pteroptochidae, neotropical. Sub-order 2. PASSERES DIACROMYODAE.—Syrinx muscles of either See also:side attached to the dorsal and ventral corners of the rings. Hallux strong, with a large claw. (i) Suboscines with Menura, See also:lyre-bird, and Atrichia, scrub-bird, in Australia. (2) Oscines, the true singing-birds, with more than 5000 See also:recent species, are mostly divided into some See also:thirty " families," few of which can be defined. The fourteen orders of the Carinatae are further congregated into four "Legions":- 1. COLYMBOMORPHAE = Ichthyornithes + Colymbiformes + Sphenisciformes + Procellariiformes. II. PELARGOMORPHAE = Ciconiiformes + Anseriformes + Falconiformes. IV. CORACIOMORPHAE = Cuculiformes + Coraciiformes + Passeriformes. These four legions are again combined into two " Brigades," the first of which comprises the first and second legions, while the second See also:brigade contains the third and fourth legions. Thus the whole See also:classification becomes a rounded-off phylogenetic See also:system, which, at least in its broad outlines, seems to approach the natural system, the ideal See also:goal of the scientific ornithologist. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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