Gruimorphae[4] is aclade of birds that contains the ordersCharadriiformes (plovers, gulls, and allies) andGruiformes (cranes and rails) identified by molecular analysis.[5][3] This grouping has had historical support, as various charadriiform families such as the familiesPedionomidae andTurnicidae were classified as gruiforms.[6][7][8] It may also have support from the fossil record since the discovery ofNahmavis from theEarly Eocene ofNorth America.[9]
The relationship between these birds is due to similar anatomical and behavioral characteristics. A morphological study went further to suggest that the gruiforms might be paraphyletic in respect to theshorebirds, with therails being closely related to thebuttonquails.[10][11]
^Mourer-Chaviré C. (1995) The Messelornithidae (Aves: Gruiformes) from the Paleogene of France. - Cour. Forsch.-Inst. Senckenberg, 181: 95–105
^Mayr, Gerald (2016). Avian evolution: the fossil record of birds and its paleobiological significance. Topics in Paleobiology. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 306.ISBN978-1-119-02076-9.
^Huxley T.H. On the classification of birds; and on the taxonomic value of the modifications of certain of the cranial bones observable in that class. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1867;1867:415–472.
^Lowe P.R. An anatomical review of the ‘waders’ (Telmatomorphæ), with special reference to the families, subfamilies, and genera within the suborders Limicolæ, Grui-Limicolæ and Lari-Limicolæ.Ibis. 1931b; 73: 712–771
^Lowe P.R. On the relations of the Gruimorphæ to the Charadriimorphæ and Rallimorphæ, with special reference to the taxonomic position of Rostratulidæ, Jacanidæ, and Burhinidæ.Ibis. 1931a; 73: 491–534
^Musser, G. & Clarke, J.A. (2020). "An Exceptionally Preserved Specimen From the Green River Formation Elucidates Complex Phenotypic Evolution in Gruiformes and Charadriiformes".Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.8.doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.559929.
