Anseriformes

{{Short description|Order of water birds}} {{automatic taxobox |fossil_range = {{fossilrange|Maastrichtian|Present}} |image = Magpie goose.jpg |image_caption = Magpie goose, ''Anseranas semipalmata'' | display_parents = 3 |taxon = Anseriformes |authority = Wagler, 1831 |subdivision_ranks = Subtaxa |subdivision = *†''Anachronornis'' *†''Anatalavis'' *†''Conflicto''? *†''Eonessa'' *†''Naranbulagornis'' *†''Paakniwatavis'' *†''Palaeopapia'' *†''Peioa'' *†''Petropluvialis''? *†''Proherodius''? *†''Vegavis''? *†''Wunketru'' *'''Anhimae''' Wetmore & Miller, 1926 **Anhimidae **†Dromornithidae? * '''Anseres''' Wetmore & Miller, 1926 **Anseranatoidea Sclater, 1880 **'''Anatoidea''' Leach, 1820 ***Anatidae ***†''Paranyroca'' ***†Presbyornithidae? |range_map = Waterfowl range.png |range_map_caption = Range of the waterfowl and allies }}

'''Anseriformes''' is an order of birds also known as '''waterfowl''' that comprises 178 living species of birds in three families: Anhimidae (three species of screamers), Anseranatidae (the magpie goose), and Anatidae, the largest family, which includes the other 174 species of waterfowl, among them the ducks, geese, and swans. Most modern species in the order are highly adapted for an aquatic existence at the water surface. With the exception of screamers, males have penises, a trait that has been lost in the Neoaves, the clade consisting of all other modern birds except the galliformes and paleognaths. Due to their aquatic nature, most species are web-footed.

==Evolution== Anseriformes are one of only two types of modern bird to be confirmed present during the Mesozoic alongside the other dinosaurs, and in fact were among the very few birds to survive their extinction, along with their cousins, the Galliformes. These two groups only occupied two ecological niches during the Mesozoic, living in water and on the ground, while the toothed Enantiornithes were the dominant birds that ruled the trees and air. The asteroid that ended the Mesozoic destroyed all trees as well as animals in the open, a condition that took centuries to recover from, with some models estimating that greenhouse effects lasted for thousands of years.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chicxulub Impact Event |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/science/kring/Chicxulub/global-effects/#:~:text=This%20is%20a%20movie%20that,on%20the%20ground%20was%20ignited. |access-date=2026-03-12 |website=www.lpi.usra.edu}}</ref> The Anseriformes and Galliformes are thought to have survived in the cover of burrows and water, and not to have needed trees for food and reproduction.<ref>[https://www.science.org/content/article/quaillike-creature-was-only-bird-survive-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact Quail-like creatures were the only birds to survive the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact]</ref>

The earliest known stem anseriform is the presbyornithid ''Teviornis'' from the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia.<ref name=M2021>{{cite journal|last1=Marjanović|first1=D.|year=2021|title=The Making of Calibration Sausage Exemplified by Recalibrating the Transcriptomic Timetree of Jawed Vertebrates|journal=Frontiers in Genetics|volume=12|at=521693|doi=10.3389/fgene.2021.521693|doi-access=free |pmid=34054911 |pmc=8149952}}</ref> Some members apparently surviving the KT extinction event, including presbyornithids, thought to be the common ancestors of ducks, geese, swans, and screamers, the last group once thought to be Galliformes, but now genetically confirmed to be closely related to geese. The first known duck fossils start to appear about 34 million years ago.

Waterfowl are the best-known examples of sexually antagonistic genital coevolution in vertebrates, causing genital adaptations to coevolve in each sex to advance control over mating and fertilization. Sexually antagonistic coevolution (or SAC) occurs as a consequence of sexual conflict between males and females, resulting in coevolutionary process that reduce fit, or that functions to decrease ease of having sex.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Brennan|first1=Patricia L.R.|last2=Prum|first2=Richard O.|date=July 2015|title=Mechanisms and Evidence of Genital Coevolution: The Roles of Natural Selection, Mate Choice, and Sexual Conflict|journal=Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology|volume=7|issue=7|article-number=a017749|doi=10.1101/cshperspect.a017749|pmid=26134314|pmc=4484975|issn=1943-0264}}</ref>

==Taxonomy== The Anseriformes and the Galliformes (pheasants, etc.) belong to a common group, the Galloanserae. They are the most primitive neognathous birds, and as such they should follow the Palaeognathae (ratites and tinamous) in bird classification systems. Several unusual extinct families of birds like the albatross-like pseudotooth birds and the giant flightless gastornithids and mihirungs have been found to be stem-anseriforms based on common features found in the skull region, beak physiology and pelvic region.<ref name="andors1992">{{cite journal | last1 = Andors | first1 = A. | year = 1992 | title = Reappraisal of the Eocene groundbird ''Diatryma'' (Aves: Anserimorphae) | journal = Science Series Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | volume = 36 | pages = 109–125}}</ref><ref name="murrayvickers2004">{{cite book | last1 = Murrary | first1 = P.F | last2 = Vickers-Rich | first2 = P. | year = 2004 | title = Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime | publisher = Indiana University Press}}</ref><ref name="bourdon2005">{{cite journal | last1 = Bourdon | first1 = E. | year = 2005 | title = Osteological evidence for sister group relationship between pseudo-toothed birds (Aves: Odontopterygiformes) and waterfowls (Anseriformes) | pmid = 16240103 | journal = Naturwissenschaften | volume = 92 | issue = 12 | pages = 586–91 | doi=10.1007/s00114-005-0047-0| bibcode = 2005NW.....92..586B | s2cid = 9453177 }}</ref><ref name="agnolín2007">{{cite journal | last1 = Agnolín | first1 = F. | year = 2007 | title = ''Brontornis burmeisteri'' Moreno & Mercerat, un Anseriformes (Aves) gigante del Mioceno Medio de Patagonia, Argentina. | journal = Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales | volume = 9 | pages = 15–25 | doi=10.22179/revmacn.9.361| doi-access = free }}</ref><ref name="livezeyzusi2007">{{cite journal | last1 = Livezey | first1 = B.C. | last2 = Zusi | first2 = R.L. | year = 2007 | title = Higher-order phylogeny of modern birds (Theropoda, Aves: Neornithes) based on comparative anatomy. II. Analysis and discussion | pmc = 2517308 | journal = The Science of Nature | volume = 149 | issue = 1 | pages = 1–95 | doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00293.x | pmid=18784798}}</ref><ref name="Louchartetal2013">{{cite journal | last1 = Louchart | first1 = A. | last2 = Sire | first2 = J.-Y. | last3 = Mourer-Chauviré | first3 = C. | last4 = Geraads | first4 = D. | last5 = Viriot | first5 = L. | last6 = de Buffrénil | first6 = V. | year = 2013 | title = Structure and Growth Pattern of Pseudoteeth in Pelagornis mauretanicus (Aves, Odontopterygiformes, Pelagornithidae) | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 8 | issue = 11 | article-number = e80372| doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0080372| pmid = 24244680 | pmc = 3828250 | bibcode = 2013PLoSO...880372L | doi-access = free }}</ref> The genus ''Vegavis'' for a while was found to be the earliest member of the anseriform crown group but a recent 2017 paper has found it to be just outside the crown group in the family Vegaviidae.<ref name="agnolínetal2017">{{cite journal | last1 = Agnolín | first1 = F.L. | last2 = Egli | first2 = F.B. | last3 = Chatterjee | first3 = S. | last4 = Marsà | first4 = J.A.G | year = 2017 | title = Vegaviidae, a new clade of southern diving birds that survived the K/T boundary | journal = The Science of Nature | volume = 104 | issue = 87 | page = 87| doi=10.1007/s00114-017-1508-y| pmid = 28988276 | bibcode = 2017SciNa.104...87A | s2cid = 13246547 | hdl = 11336/50697 | hdl-access = free }}</ref> However, the monophyly of Vegaviidae was questioned by Torres et al. (2025) who described a nearly complete skull of ''Vegavis'' in 2025, supporting its placement within crown group Anseriformes.<ref name=Torres2025>{{cite journal|first1=Christopher R.|last1=Torres|first2=Julia A.|last2=Clarke|first3=Joseph R.|last3=Groenke|first4=Matthew C.|last4=Lamanna|first5=Ross D. E.|last5=MacPhee|first6=Grace M.|last6=Musser|first7=Eric M.|last7=Roberts|first8=Patrick M.|last8=O'Connor|year=2025|title=Cretaceous Antarctic bird skull elucidates early avian ecological diversity|journal=Nature|volume=638|issue=8049|pages=146–151|doi=10.1038/s41586-024-08390-0|issn=1476-4687}}</ref> However, Irazoqui et al. (2026) who redescribed this skull suggested that ''Vegavis'' can only be confidently placed as a neognath of uncertain affinities.<ref name="VegavisSpp.2026">{{Cite journal |last1=Irazoqui |first1=Facundo |last2=Acosta Hospitaleche |first2=Carolina |last3=Paulina-Carabajal |first3=Ariana |last4=Bona |first4=Paula |last5=Vega |first5=Nahuel |date=January 30, 2026 |title=New species of ''Vegavis'' (Neornithes) from Antarctica highlights unexpected Cretaceous Antarctic diversity |journal=Diversity |language=en |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=82 |doi=10.3390/d18020082 |issn=1424-2818 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Below is the general consensus (prior to Torres et al. (2025)<ref name=Torres2025/>) of the phylogeny of anseriforms and their stem relatives.<ref name=andors1992/><ref name=murrayvickers2004/><ref name=bourdon2005/><ref name=agnolín2007/><ref name=livezeyzusi2007/><ref name=agnolínetal2017/> {{clade|style=font-size:107% |label1=Odontoanserae |1={{Clade |1=†Pelagornithidae (pseudo-tooth birds) 70 px |label2=Anserimorphae |2={{clade |1=†Gastornithidae 70 px |2={{clade |1=†Dromornithidae (mihirungs) 70 px |2={{clade |1=†Vegaviidae |2='''Anseriformes''' (screamers and waterfowl) 70 px 70 px70 px}}}}}}}}}}

===Systematics=== Anatidae is traditionally divided into subfamilies Anatinae and Anserinae.<ref name=Gonzalez2009>{{ cite journal | last1=Gonzalez | first1=J. | last2=Düttmann | first2=H. | last3=Wink | first3=M. | year=2009 | title=Phylogenetic relationships based on two mitochondrial genes and hybridization patterns in Anatidae | journal=Journal of Zoology | volume=279 | issue= 3| pages=310–318 | doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00622.x }}</ref> The systematics, especially regarding placement of some "odd" genera in the dabbling ducks or shelducks, is better resolved following the genetic analysis by Buckner et al. (2018);<ref name="m713">{{cite journal |last1=Buckner |first1=Janet C. |last2=Ellingson |first2=Ryan |last3=Gold |first3=David A. |last4=Jones |first4=Terry L. |last5=Jacobs |first5=David K. |title=Mitogenomics supports an unexpected taxonomic relationship for the extinct diving duck Chendytes lawi and definitively places the extinct Labrador Duck |journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution |volume=122 |date=2018 |doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2017.12.008 |pages=102–109 |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1055790317304621 |access-date=2026-02-22|url-access=subscription }}</ref> this has led to the reassignment of many genera to different tribes to which they were traditionally assigned. The list below follows the AviList, which has accepted these revisions:<ref name=avilist>{{ cite web | author=AviList Core Team | date=2025 | title=AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025 | doi=10.2173/avilist.v2025 | doi-access=free | url=http://www.avilist.org/checklist/v2025/ | access-date=2026-02-22 }}</ref> Note that AviList only includes extant and recently extinct genera:

* '''Order Anseriformes''' ** Suborder '''Anhimae''' Wetmore & Miller 1926 *** Family Anhimidae Stejneger 1885 (screamers) **** Genus ''Anhima'' (Linnaeus 1766) Brisson 1760 (horned screamer) **** Genus ''Chauna'' Illiger 1811 ** Suborder '''Anseres''' (true Anseriformes) *** Family Anseranatidae Sclater 1880 **** Genus ''Anseranas'' (Latham 1798) Lesson 1828 (magpie goose) *** Family Anatidae Leach 1820 (almost 150 species) **** Subfamily Dendrocygninae Reichenbach 1849–50 ***** Genus ''Thalassornis'' Eyton 1838 (white-backed duck) ***** Genus ''Dendrocygna'' Swainson 1837 (whistling ducks) **** Subfamily Stictonettinae ***** Genus ''Biziura'' Stephens 1824 (musk ducks) ***** Genus ''Nettapus'' von Brandt 1836 (pygmy geese) ***** Genus ''Stictonetta'' (Gould 1841) Reichenbach 1853 (freckled duck) **** Subfamily Oxyurinae Swainson 1831 (stiff-tailed ducks and allies) ***** Genus ''Heteronetta'' (Merrem 1841) Salvadori 1865 (black-headed duck) ***** Genus ''Nomonyx'' (Linnaeus 1766) Ridgway 1880 (masked duck) ***** Genus ''Oxyura'' Bonaparte 1828 **** Subfamily Anserinae Vigors 1825 sensu Livezey 1996 (swans and geese) ***** Genus ''Plectropterus'' (Linnaeus 1766) (spur-winged goose) ***** Genus ''Malacorhynchus'' Swainson 1831 (pink-eared duck) ***** Genus ''Coscoroba'' (Molina 1782) Reichenbach 1853 (Coscoroba swan) ***** Genus ''Cereopsis'' Latham 1801 (Cape Barren goose) ***** Genus ''Cygnus'' Garsault 1764 ***** Genus ''Branta'' Scopoli 1769 ***** Genus ''Anser'' Brisson 1760 **** Subfamily Anatinae Vigors 1825 sensu Livezey 1996 ***** Tribe Tadornini Reichenbach 1849–50 (shelducks and sheldgeese) ****** Genus ''Merganetta'' Gould 1842 (Torrent duck) ****** Genus ''Callonetta'' Delacour 1936 (ringed teal) ****** Genus ''Cairina'' (Linnaeus 1758) Fleming 1822 (Muscovy duck) ****** Genus ''Aix'' Boie 1828 ****** Genus ''Neochen'' Oberholser 1918 ****** Genus ''Chloephaga'' Eyton 1838 ****** Genus ''Radjah'' Reichenbach, 1853 ****** Genus ''Alopochen'' Stejneger 1885 ****** Genus ''Tadorna'' Boie 1822 ***** Tribe Mergini Rafinesque 1815 (eiders, scoters, mergansers and other sea-ducks) ****** Genus ''Clangula'' Leach 1819 (long-tailed duck) ****** Genus ''Polysticta stelleri'' (Pallas 1769) Eyton 1836 (Steller's eider) ****** Genus †''Camptorhynchus'' (Gmelin 1789) Bonaparte 1838 (Labrador duck) ****** Genus ''Somateria'' Leach 1819 (eiders) ****** Genus ''Histrionicus'' Lesson 1828 (harlequin duck) ****** Genus ''Melanitta'' Boie 1822 (scoters) ****** Genus ''Bucephala'' Baird 1858 ****** Genus ''Mergellus'' Selby 1840 (Smew) ****** Genus ''Lophodytes'' (Linnaeus 1758) Reichenbach 1853 (hooded merganser) ****** Genus ''Mergus'' Linnaeus 1758 non Brisson 1760 ***** Tribe Aythyini Delacour and Mayr, 1945 (diving ducks) ****** Genus ''Sarkidiornis'' Eyton 1838 ****** Genus ''Hymenolaimus'' (Gmelin 1789) Gray 1843 (blue duck) ****** Genus ''Chenonetta'' von Brandt 1836 (Australian wood duck) ****** Genus ''Cyanochen'' (Rüppell 1845) Bonaparte 1856 (blue-winged goose) ****** Genus ''Pteronetta'' (Cassin 1860) Salvadori 1895 (Hartlaub's duck) ****** Genus ''Marmaronetta'' (Ménétries 1832) Reichenbach 1853 (marbled duck) ****** Genus ''Asarcornis'' (Müller 1842) Salvadori 1895 (white-winged duck) ****** Genus ?†''Rhodonessa'' Reichenbach 1853 (pink-headed duck) ****** Genus ''Netta'' Kaup 1829 ****** Genus ''Aythya'' Boie 1822 ***** Tribe Anatini Vigors 1825 sensu Livezey 1996 (dabbling ducks and moa-nalos) ****** Genus ''Salvadorina'' Rothschild & Hartert 1894 (Salvadori's teal) ****** Genus ''Lophonetta'' (King 1828) Riley 1914 (crested duck) ****** Genus ''Speculanas'' (King 1828) von Boetticher 1929 (bronze-winged duck) ****** Genus ''Amazonetta'' (Gmelin 1789) von Boetticher 1929 (Brazilian teal) ****** Genus ''Tachyeres'' Owen 1875 (steamer ducks) ****** Genus ''Sibirionetta'' (Georgi 1775) (Baikal teal) ****** Genus ''Spatula'' Boie 1822 ****** Genus ''Mareca'' (Stephens 1824) ****** Genus ''Anas'' Linnaeus 1758

====Extinct Anseriformes (fossil & subfossil)==== Early basal Anseriformes: ** ?†''Conflicto'' Claudia P. Tambussi et al. 2019 – tentatively placed here; possibly family Conflictonidae ** †''Anatalavis'' Olson & Parris 1987 (Late Cretaceous/Early Paleocene – Early Eocene) – including ''Nettapterornis''; may belong in Anseranatidae or Conflictonidae ** †''Naranbulagornis'' Zelenkov 2019 ** †''Anachronornis''<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Houde |first1=Peter |last2=Dickson |first2=Meig |last3=Camarena |first3=Dakota |date=February 2023 |title=Basal Anseriformes from the Early Paleogene of North America and Europe |journal=Diversity |language=en |volume=15 |issue=2 |page=233 |doi=10.3390/d15020233 |issn=1424-2818|doi-access=free }}</ref> ** †''Paakniwatavis'' Musser & Clarke 2024

Assigned to named families and subfamilies: * Family '''Anhimidae''' Stejneger 1885 ** Genus †''Chaunoides'' Alvarenga 1999 * Family Anseranatidae Sclater 1880 ** Genus †''Anserpica'' Mourer-Chauviré, Berthet & Hugueney 2004 ** Genus †''Eoanseranas'' Worthy & Scanlon 2009 (hand's dawn magpie goose) * Family †Presbyornithidae? Wetmore 1926 (wading-"geese"){{note|Possibly paraphyletic in relation to Anhimidae}} ** Genus †''Teviornis'' Kuročkin, Dyke & Karhu 2002 ** Genus †''Telmabates'' Howard 1955 ** Genus †''Presbyornis'' Wetmore 1926 ** Genus †''Wilaru'' Boles et al. 2013 ** Genus †''Bumbalavis'' Zelenkov 2021 ** Genus †''Murgonornis'' Worthy et al. 2023 * Family †Paranyrocidae Miller & Compton 1939 ** Genus †''Paranyroca'' Miller & Compton 1939 (Rosebud Early Miocene of Bennett County, USA)  * Family Anatidae ** Genus †''Garganornis ballmanni''<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Pavia | first1 = M. | first2 = H.J.M. | last2 = Meijer | first3 = M.A. | last3 = Rossi | first4 = U.B. | last4 = Göhlich | date = 2017 | journal = Royal Society Open Science | volume = 4 | issue = 1 | article-number = 160722 | title = The extreme insular adaptation of ''Garganornis ballmanni'' Meijer, 2014: a giant Anseriformes of the Neogene of the Mediterranean Basin | doi = 10.1098/rsos.160722 | doi-access = free| pmid = 28280574 | pmc = 5319340 | bibcode = 2017RSOS....460722P }}</ref> Meijer 2014 * Subfamily †Romainvilliinae Lambrecht 1933 ** Genus †''Romainvillia'' Lebedinský 1927 (Late Eocene/Early Oligocene) ** Genus †''Saintandrea'' Mayr & De Pietri 2013 * Subfamily †Dendrocheninae Livezey & Martin 1988 ** Genus †''Dendrochen'' Miller 1944 ** Genus †''Manuherikia'' Worthy et al. 2007 ** Genus †''Mionetta'' Livezey & Martin 1988 * Subfamily Oxyurinae Swainson 1831 (stiff-tailed ducks and allies) ** Genus †''Anabernicula'' Ross 1935 * Subfamily Anserinae Vigors 1825 sensu Livezey 1996 (swans and geese) ** Genus †''Anserobranta'' Kuročkin & Ganya 1972 ** Genus †''Asiavis'' Nesov 1986 ** Genus †''"Chenopis"'' De Vis 1905 ** Genus †''Cygnavus'' Lambrecht 1931 ** Genus †''Cygnopterus'' Lambrecht 1931 ** Genus †''Eremochen'' Brodkorb 1961 ** Genus †''Megalodytes'' Howard 1992 ** Genus †''Annakacygna'' Matsuoka & Hasegawa 2022 ** Genus †''Paracygnus'' Short 1969 ** Genus †''Presbychen'' Wetmore 1930 ** Genus †''Cnemiornis'' Owen 1866 (New Zealand geese) ** Genus †''Afrocygnus'' Louchart et al. 2005 * Tribe Tadornini Reichenbach 1849–50 (shelducks and sheldgeese) ** Genus †''Australotadorna'' Worthy 2009 ** Genus †''Brantadorna'' Howard 1964 ** Genus †''Centrornis'' Andrews 1897 (Malagasy sheldgoose) ** Genus †''Miotadorna'' Worthy et al. 2007 (St. Bathans shelduck) ** Genus †''Nannonetta'' Campbell 1979 ** Genus †''Pleistoanser'' Agnolín 2006 ** Genus †''Balcanas'' Boev 1998 * Tribe Anatini Vigors 1825 (dabbling ducks and moa-nalos) ** Genus †''Zqueheanas'' Agnolin et al 2025 ** Genus †''Dunstanetta'' Worthy et al. 2007 (Johnstone's duck) ** Genus †''Lavadytis'' Stidham & Hilton 2015 ** Genus †''Pinpanetta'' Worthy 2009 ** Genus †''Tirarinetta'' Worthy 2008 ** Genus †''Chendytes'' Miller 1925 ** Genus †''Matanas'' Worthy et al. 2007 (Enright's duck) ** Genus †''Shiriyanetta'' Watanabe & Matsuoka 2015

Unassigned extinct Anseriformes: * †''Allgoviachen'' Mayr et al. 2022 * †''"Anas" albae'' Jánossy 1979 [?''Mergus''] * †''"Anas" amotape'' Campbell 1979 * †''"Anas" isarensis'' Lambrecht 1933 * †''"Anas" luederitzensis'' Lambrecht 1929 * †''"Anas" sanctaehelenae'' Campbell 1979 * †''"Anas" eppelsheimensis'' Lambrecht 1933 * †''Aldabranas cabri'' Harrison & Walker 1978 * †''Ankonetta larriestrai'' Cenizo & Agnolín 2010 * †''Bambolinetta'' (Portis 1884) Mayr & Pavia 2014 [''Anas lignitifila'' Portis 1884] * †''Cayaoa bruneti'' Tonni 1979 * †''Chelychelynechen'' Olson & James 1991 (turtle-jawed moa-nalo) * †''Chenoanas deserta'' Zelenkov 2012 * †''Cygnopterus alphonsi'' Cheneval 1984 [non ''Cygnavus senckenbergi'' Mlíkovský 2002] * †''Eoneornis'' Ameghino 1891 (nomen dubium) * †''Eutelornis'' Ameghino 1891 (nomen dubium) * †''Gracanicanetta'' Bochenski et al 2025 * †''Helonetta brodkorbi'' Emslie 1992 * †''Heteroanser vicinus'' (Kuročkin 1976) Zelenkov 2012 [''Heterochen vicinus'' Kuročkin 1976; ''Anser vicinus'' (Kuročkin 1976) Mlíkovský & Švec 1986] * †''Kustokazanser'' (Zelenkov 2024)<ref name="ZelenkovWaterfowl24">{{Cite journal |last=Zelenkov |first=Nikita |year=2024 |title=A remarkable diversity of waterfowl (Aves: Anseriformes) from the upper Eocene and lower Oligocene of Kazakhstan |journal=Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology |volume=43 |issue=6 |at=e2374306 |doi=10.1080/02724634.2024.2374306}}</ref> * †''Lavanttalornis'' Bochenski et al. 2023 * †''Loxornis clivus'' Ameghino 1894 * ''Metopiana'' Bonaparte 1856 [''Metopias'' Heine & Reichenow 1890; ''Phoeonetta'' Delacour 1937; ''Netta (Phoeoaythia)'' Delacour 1937] * †''Mioquerquedula minutissima'' Zelenkov & Kuročkin 2012 [''Anas velox'' Milne-Edwards 1867] * †''Nogusunna conflictoides'' Zelenkov 2011 * †''"Oxyura" doksana'' Mlíkovský 2002 * †''Paracygnopterus scotti'' Harrison & Walker 1979 * †''Proanser major'' Umanskaya 1979 * †''Protomelanitta'' Zelenkov 2011 * †''Ptaiochen'' Olson & James 1991 (small-billed moa-nalo) * †''Sharganetta mongolica'' Zelenkov 2011 * †''Sinanas'' Yeh 1980 * †''Talpanas'' Olson & James 2009 (Kaua'i mole duck) * †''Teleornis'' Ameghino 1899 * †''Thambetochen'' Olson & Wetmore 1976 * †''Uyrekura'' Zelenkov 2023 * †''Wasonaka'' Howard 1966

In addition, a considerable number of mainly Late Cretaceous and Paleogene fossils have been described where it is uncertain whether or not they are anseriforms. This is because almost all orders of aquatic birds living today either originated or underwent a major radiation during that time, making it hard to decide whether some waterbird-like bone belongs into this family or is the product of parallel evolution in a different lineage due to adaptive pressures.

* "Presbyornithidae" gen. et sp. indet. (Barun Goyot Late Cretaceous of Udan Sayr, Mongolia) – Presbyornithidae? * UCMP 117599 (Hell Creek Late Cretaceous of Bug Creek West, USA) * ''Petropluvialis'' (Late Eocene of England) – may be same as ''Palaeopapia'' * ''Agnopterus'' (Late Eocene – Late Oligocene of Europe) – includes ''Cygnopterus lambrechti'' * ''"Headonornis hantoniensis"'' BMNH PAL 4989 (Hampstead Early Oligocene of Isle of Wight, England) – formerly ''"Ptenornis"'' * ''Palaeopapia'' (Hampstead Early Oligocene of Isle of Wight, England) * ''"Anas" creccoides'' (Early/Middle Oligocene of Belgium) * ''"Anas" skalicensis'' (Early Miocene of "Skalitz", Czech Republic) * ''"Anas" risgoviensis'' (Late Miocene of Bavaria, Germany) * †''"Anas" meyerii'' Milne-Edwards 1867 [''Aythya meyerii'' (Milne-Edwards 1867) Brodkorb 1964] * †''Eonessa anaticula'' Wetmore 1938 {Eonessinae Wetmore 1938}

<gallery> Image:Zoo América-2897-Chauna torquata.jpg|Crested screamer (''Chauna torquata'') Image:magpie.goose.grooming.arp.750pix.jpg|Magpie goose (''Anseranas semipalmata''), sole surviving member of a Mesozoic lineage Image:Dromornis stirtoni 01.jpg|Cast of ''Dromornis stirtoni'', a mihirung, from Australia. </gallery>

==Molecular studies==

Studies of the mitochondrial DNA suggest the existence of four branches – Anseranatidae, Dendrocygninae, Anserinae and Anatinae – with Dendrocygninae being a subfamily within the family Anatidae and Anseranatidae representing an independent family.<ref name=Liu2013>{{cite journal | last1 = Liu | first1 = G | last2 = Zhou | first2 = L | last3 = Zhang | first3 = L | last4 = Luo | first4 = Z | last5 = Xu | first5 = W | year = 2013 | title = The complete mitochondrial genome of bean goose (''Anser fabalis'') and implications for anseriformes taxonomy | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 8 | issue = 5| article-number = e63334 | doi = 10.1371/journal.pone.0063334 | pmid = 23717412 | pmc = 3662773 | bibcode = 2013PLoSO...863334L | doi-access = free }}</ref> The clade Somaterini has a single genus ''Somateria''.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Cited texts== {{Commons category|Anseriformes}} {{Wikibooks|Dichotomous Key|Anseriformes}} * {{cite journal | last1 = Agnolin | first1 = F | year = 2007 | title = ''Brontornis burmeisteri'' Moreno & Mercerat, un Anseriformes (Aves) gigante del Mioceno Medio de Patagonia, Argentina | journal = Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales | volume = 9 | pages = 15–25 | doi=10.22179/revmacn.9.361| doi-access = free }} * {{cite journal | last1 = Clarke | first1 = J. A. | last2 = Tambussi | first2 = C. P. | last3 = Noriega | first3 = J. I. | last4 = Erickson | first4 = G. M. | last5 = Ketcham | first5 = R. A. | year = 2005 | title = Definitive fossil evidence for the extant avian radiation in the Cretaceous | journal = Nature | volume = 433 | issue = 7023| pages = 305–308 | doi = 10.1038/nature03150 | pmid = 15662422 | bibcode = 2005Natur.433..305C | s2cid = 4354309 | url = http://doc.rero.ch/record/15294/files/PAL_E2593.pdf }} * {{cite journal | last1 = Livezey | first1 = B. C. | last2 = Zusi | first2 = R. L. | year = 2007 | title = Higher-order phylogeny of modern birds (Theropoda, Aves: Neornithes) based on comparative anatomy. II. Analysis and discussion | journal = Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society | volume = 149 | issue = 1| pages = 1–95 | doi=10.1111/j.1096-3642.2006.00293.x| pmid = 18784798 | pmc = 2517308 }} * Murray, P. F. & Vickers-Rich, P. (2004) Magnificent Mihirungs: The Colossal Flightless Birds of the Australian Dreamtime. ''Indiana University Press''.

Category:Anseriformes Category:Bird orders Category:Extant Maastrichtian first appearances Category:Late Cretaceous taxonomic orders Category:Paleocene taxonomic orders Category:Eocene taxonomic orders Category:Oligocene taxonomic orders Category:Miocene taxonomic orders Category:Pliocene taxonomic orders Category:Pleistocene taxonomic orders Category:Holocene taxonomic orders Category:Taxa named by Johann Georg Wagler