Parent taxon: Aves according to A. Piro and C. Acosta Hospitaleche 2023
See also Aslanova and Burchak-Abramowich 1982, Bourdon 2005, Bourdon et al. 2010, Livezey and Zusi 2007 and Mayr 2008
Sister taxa: Accipitriformes, Alaripeda, Archaeornithipus, Archornithes, Aucornis, Avimimiformes, Avipedidae, Barrosopus, Bucerotiformes, Chaoyangornithidae, Charadriiformes, Climacarthrus, Dolichopterus, Dromiceiidae, Eoaves, Eociconia, Eopteryx, Eucavitaves, Eupterornis remensis, Eurhipidurae, Euryonotus, Falconiformes, Fontinalis, Gansuiformes, Gobioolithidae, Gruipeda, Gyeongsangornipes, Ibidopodia, Ignotornidae, Jeholornis, Jindongornipodidae, Jixiangornis, Koreanaornipodidae, Kuszholiidae, Liaoxiornithidae, Limiavipedidae, Loncornis, Longipennes, Manu, Metornithes, Micropodiformes, Minerva, Mirandornithes, Moguiornipes, Musophagiformes, Mystiornithiformes, Neornithes, Odontoglossae, Odontornithes, Omnivoropterygiformes, Onychopteryx, Pachycorioolithidae, Palaeoaves, Palaeolestes, Palaeopsittacus, Paludicolae, Pancharadriiformes, Pangalliformes, Panmirandornithes, Pansphenisciformes, Parvoolithus, Patagonichnornis, Paxavipedidae, Phaethontiformes, Platanavis, Plectophora, Praeornithes, Proherodius, Proherodius oweni, Proornis, Protoaviformes, Protopelargus, Protornis, Psittacopasseres, Psittacopedidae, Pygostylia, Qianshanornithidae, Querandiornis, Riacama, Sauriurae, Shandongornipodidae, Shenzhouraptor, Smiliornis, Tantalatos, Tantaleus, Tatarornipes, Telluraves, Telmatoformes, Teracus, Tricorynopus brinkmani, Tridentigerpes, Tshulia, Uhangrichnus, Yacoraitichnus, Yalavis
Subtaxa: Pelagornithidae
Ecology: ground dwelling carnivore
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Japan (1 collection), Venezuela (1)
• Pliocene of Japan (1), Morocco (1), New Zealand (3), United States (2: California, North Carolina)
• Miocene of Australia (1), Chile (4), France (2), Japan (6), New Zealand (1), Peru (6), Portugal (1), United States (11: California, Delaware, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia), Venezuela (2)
• Arikareean of United States (1: Oregon)
• Oligocene to Miocene of United States (2: Oregon)
• Oligocene of Azerbaijan (1), Canada (1: British Columbia), Japan (3), United States (4: South Carolina)
• Eocene of Antarctica (8), Belgium (4), Kazakhstan (1), Mexico (1), Morocco (3), Nigeria (1), Peru (1), Togo (1), Ukraine (1), the United Kingdom (3), United States (3: Oregon, Virginia), Western Sahara (2)
• Paleocene to Eocene of the United Kingdom (1)
• Paleocene of France (1), Morocco (2), New Zealand (1)
Total: 89 collections including 109 occurrences