Hieraves is a clade oftelluravianbirds named by Wuet al. (2024) that includes the ordersStrigiformes (owls) andAccipitriformes (hawks and their relatives).[1] TheCathartidae (New World vultures) are usually included in Accipitriformes,[2] but some authors treat them as a third orderCathartiformes in the Hieraves.[citation needed] In the past, either owls, New World vultures, and hawks were found to be basal outgroups with respect toCoraciimorphae insideAfroaves,[3][4] or Accipitriformes and Cathartiformes were recovered as a basal clade in respect to the rest of the members of Telluraves.[5] Houde and Braun (2019) found support for Hieraves (then unnamed), but they were found to be the sister group to Coraciimorphae andAustralaves.[6] The analysis of Wuet al. (2024) has found Hieraves to be the sister clade to Australaves.[1] Stiller et al. (2024) found Hieraves to be basal to Afroaves.[7]
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