The order Suliformes (, dubbed "Phalacrocoraciformes" by ''Christidis & Boles 2008'') is an order of birds recognised by the International Ornithologist's Union. Regarding the recent evidence that the traditional Pelecaniformes is

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

, it has been suggested that the group be divided to reflect the true evolutionary relationships; a 2017 study indicated that they are most closely related to Otidiformes (bustards) and

Ciconiiformes Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, such as herons and ibise ...

(storks).

Systematics and evolution

Of the families in Pelecaniformes, only

Pelecanidae The Pelecanidae is a family of Pelecaniformes, pelecaniform birds within the Pelecani that contains three genera: the extinct ''Eopelecanus'' and ''Miopelecanus'' and the extant ''Pelecanus''. Pelecanids have existed since the late Eocene (Pria ...

, Balaenicipitidae, and Scopidae remain. The tropicbird family Phaethontidae has since been moved to their order Phaethontiformes. Genetic analysis seems to show that the Pelecaniformes are actually closely related to the Ardeidae and Threskiornithidae. As for the Suliformes, they are distantly related to the current Pelecaniformes. According to Hackett ''et al''. (2008), loons, penguins,

storks Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout Beak, bills. They belong to the family (biology), family Ciconiidae, and make up the order Ciconiiformes . Ciconiiformes previously included a number of other families, suc ...

, and as well as Suliformes and Pelecaniformes, all seem to have evolved from a common ancestor. The proposed waterbird superorder has been suggested. In their landmark 2008 work ''Systematics and Taxonomy of Australian Birds'', Australian ornithologists Les Christidis and Walter E. Boles coined the name Phalacrocoraciformes for the group due to the much greater number of species of cormorants ( Phalacrocoracidae) over boobies and gannets ( Sulidae). However, this has not been taken up elsewhere. In 1994, American ornithologist Walter J. Bock wrote that the name Suloidea had been used consistently as a term for a superfamily containing the two families, so therefore "Sulidae" and not "Phalacrocoracidae" should take priority in any arrangement containing the two genera. In 2010, the AOU adopted the term Suliformes for the taxon. The IOC followed in 2011. In 1994, Martyn Kennedy and colleagues constructed a behavioural data set, with the resulting tree showing a high level of congruence with existing phylogenies based on genetics or morphology. It showed the darters as sister group to the cormorants and shags, with the gannets and boobies, then pelicans, then frigatebirds and lastly tropicbirds as progressively earlier offshoots.

Cladogram A cladogram (from Greek language, Greek ''clados'' "branch" and ''gramma'' "character") is a diagram used in cladistics to show relations among organisms. A cladogram is not, however, an Phylogenetic tree, evolutionary tree because it does not s ...

based on Gibb, G.C. ''et al''. (2013)

Species

Fregatidae Frigatebirds are a Family (biology), family of seabirds called Fregatidae which are found across all tropical and subtropical oceans. The five extant species are classified in a single genus, ''Fregata''. All have predominantly black plumage, l ...

Magnificent frigatebird The magnificent frigatebird (''Fregata magnificens''), frigate petrel or man o' war is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. With a length of and wingspan of , it is the largest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtr ...

or man o'war, ''Fregata magnificens'' ** Ascension frigatebird, ''Fregata aquila'' ** Christmas Island frigatebird, ''Fregata andrewsi'' **

Great frigatebird The great frigatebird (''Fregata minor'') is a large seabird in the frigatebird family (biology), family. There are major nesting populations in the tropical Pacific Ocean, such as Hawaii and the Galápagos Islands; in the Indian Ocean, colonies ...

, ''Fregata minor'' **

Lesser frigatebird The lesser frigatebird (''Fregata ariel'') is a seabird of the frigatebird family Fregatidae. At around 75 cm (30 in) in length, it is the smallest species of frigatebird. It occurs over tropical and subtropical waters across the Indian ...

, ''Fregata ariel'' * Sulidae ** Blue-footed booby, ''Sula nebouxii'' ** Peruvian booby, ''Sula variegata'' ** Masked booby, ''Sula dactylatra'' **

Nazca booby The Nazca booby (''Sula granti'') is a large seabird of the booby family, Sulidae, native to the eastern Pacific. First described by Walter Rothschild in 1902, it was long considered a subspecies of the masked booby until recognised as distin ...

, ''Sula granti'' ** Red-footed booby, ''Sula sula'' ** Brown booby, ''Sula leucogaster'' ** Abbott's booby, ''Papasula abbotti'' ** Northern gannet, ''Morus bassanus'' ** Cape gannet, ''Morus capensis'' ** Australasian gannet, ''Morus serrator'' * Phalacrocoracidae ** Pygmy cormorant, ''Microcarbo pygmaeus'' ** Reed cormorant, ''Microcarbo africanus'' ** Crowned cormorant, ''Microcarbo coronatus'' ** Little cormorant, ''Microcarbo niger'' **

Little pied cormorant The little pied cormorant, little shag or kawaupaka (''Microcarbo melanoleucos'') is a common species of Australasian waterbird, found around the coasts, islands, Estuary, estuaries, and inland waters of Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Timor- ...

, ''Microcarbo melanoleucos'' ** Brandt's cormorant, ''Urile penicillatus'' ** Red-faced cormorant, ''Urile urile'' ** Pelagic cormorant, ''Urile pelagicus'' **† Spectacled cormorant, ''Urile perspicillatus'' (extinct) ** Bank cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax neglectus'' ** Socotra cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax nigrogularis'' ** Pitt shag, ''Phalacrocorax featherstoni'' ** Spotted shag, ''Phalacrocorax punctatus'' **

Black-faced cormorant The black-faced cormorant (''Phalacrocorax fuscescens''), also known as the black-faced shag, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. Upperparts, including facial skin and bill, are black, with white underparts. It is Endemism, endem ...

, ''Phalacrocorax fuscescens'' **

Australian pied cormorant The Australian pied cormorant (''Phalacrocorax varius''), also known as the pied cormorant, pied shag, or great pied cormorant, is a medium-sized member of the cormorant family. It is found around the coasts of Australasia. In New Zealand, it ...

, ''Phalacrocorax varius'' ** Little black cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax sulcirostris'' ** Indian cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis'' **

Cape cormorant The Cape cormorant or Cape shag (''Phalacrocorax capensis'') is a bird endemic to the southwestern coasts of Africa. It breeds from the coastal area of Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast o ...

, ''Phalacrocorax capensis'' ** Japanese cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax capillatus'' ** White-breasted cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax lucidus'' ** Great cormorant, ''Phalacrocorax carbo'' ** European shag, ''Gulosus aristotelis'' ** Flightless cormorant, ''Nannopterum harrisi'' ** Neotropic cormorant, ''Nannopterum brasilianum'' ** Double-crested cormorant, ''Nannopterum auritum'' ** Rock shag, ''Leucocarbo magellanicus'' ** Guanay cormorant, ''Leucocarbo bougainvillii'' ** Bounty shag, ''Leucocarbo ranfurlyi'' ** New Zealand king shag, ''Leucocarbo carunculatus'' ** Chatham shag, ''Leucocarbo onslowi'' ** Otago shag, ''Leucocarbo chalconotus'' ** Foveaux shag, ''Leucocarbo stewarti'' ** Auckland shag, ''Leucocarbo colensoi'' ** Campbell shag, ''Leucocarbo campbelli'' **

Imperial shag The imperial shag or imperial cormorant (''Leucocarbo atriceps'') is a black-and-white cormorant native to southern South America, islands of the Subantarctic, and the Antarctic Peninsula, primarily in rocky coastal regions, but locally also at ...

, ''Leucocarbo atriceps'' ** South Georgia shag, ''Leucocarbo georgianus'' ** Crozet shag, ''Leucocarbo melanogenis'' ** Antarctic shag, ''Leucocarbo bransfieldensis'' ** Kerguelen shag, ''Leucocarbo verrucosus'' ** Heard Island shag, ''Leucocarbo nivalis'' ** Macquarie shag, ''Leucocarbo purpurascens'' * Anhingidae **

Anhinga The anhinga (; ''Anhinga anhinga''), sometimes called snakebird, darter, American darter, or water turkey, is a water bird of the warmer parts of the Americas. The word ''anhinga'' comes from ''a'ñinga'' in the Brazilian Tupi language and means ...

or American darter, ''Anhinga anhinga'' ** Oriental darter or Indian darter, ''Anhinga melanogaster'' ** African darter, ''Anhinga rufa'' ** Australasian darter or Australian darter, ''Anhinga novaehollandiae''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q21728 Seabirds Bird orders Taxa named by Richard Bowdler Sharpe