Sylviornis Temporal range: Holocene |
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Sylviornis neocaledoniae skull fragment and tibia, Muséum national d'histoire naturelle, Paris | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Pangalliformes |
Family: |
†Sylviornithidae Mourer-Chauviré & Balouet, 2005 |
genera | |
Sylviornithidae is an extinct family of flightless birds. Traditionally assumed to be within Galliformes, recent phylogenetic studies showcase that they rest outside of the galliform crown-group, making them the most recently lived non-galliform Pangalliformes. For the longest time it has been used as a monotypic family for Sylviornis, but recent studies showcase that Megavitiornis was part of this clade as well.