This is an accepted version of this page
| Sylviornithidae Temporal range:Holocene | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Skeletal reconstruction ofSylviornis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Clade: | Pangalliformes |
| Family: | †Sylviornithidae Mourer-Chauviré &Balouet, 2005 |
| Genera | |
Sylviornithidae is an extinct family offlightless birds, known fromsubfossil bones found inHolocene aged deposits on theMelanesian islands ofNew Caledonia andFiji. For many years it was considered amonotypic family consisting of the New CalendoniaSylviornis alone, but recent studies show that the FijianMegavitiornis was part of thisclade as well. Long considered to havegalliform affinities, a 2016 study suggested that they were outside the Galliformescrown group,[1] while a 2024 study suggested that they were members of the Galliformes crown group as more closely related toPhasianoidea than toMegapodiidae, and were most closely related to the extinct giantgastornithids.[2]