Apodimorphae is a clade of
strisorean birds that include the extant families
Trochilidae (hummingbirds),
Hemiprocnidae (treeswifts),
Apodidae (swifts), and
Aegothelidae (owlet-nightjars), as well as many fossil families. This grouping of birds has been supported in a variety of recent studies.
There are two higher classification schemes that have been proposed for the apodimorph families. One is all strisorean birds are classified in the order
Caprimulgiformes
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal or crepuscular birds in the family Caprimulgidae and order Caprimulgiformes, characterised by long wings, short legs, and very short bills. They are sometimes called goatsuckers, due to the ancient folk tal ...
,
[ while the other is the strisorean birds are split into several distinct orders. In this case Apodimorphae is a subclade of Strisores that includes the orders Aegotheliformes (only including the owlet-nightjars of ]Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
) and the Apodiformes
Traditionally, the bird order Apodiformes contained three living families: the swifts (Apodidae), the treeswifts (Hemiprocnidae), and the hummingbirds (Trochilidae). In the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, this order is raised to a superorder Apodi ...
(the swifts, treeswifts, and hummingbirds which have a global distribution).[ A similar name for the group Daedalornithes][ has been used for the owlet-night-apodiform clade, there is a difference between the two names with Apodimorphae defined as the total-group (the most inclusive clade including '' Aegotheles cristatus'' and '']Apus apus
The common swift (''Apus apus'') is a medium-sized bird, superficially similar to the barn swallow or house martin but somewhat larger, though not stemming from those passerine species, being in the order Apodiformes. The resemblances between th ...
'' but not '' Caprimulgus europaeus'', '' Steatornis caripensis'', '' Nyctibius grandis'', or ''Podargus strigoides
The tawny frogmouth (''Podargus strigoides'') is a species of frogmouth native to the Australian mainland and Tasmania and found throughout. It is a big-headed, stocky bird, often mistaken for an owl, due to its nocturnal habits and similar colo ...
'') and Daedalornithes defined as the crowned group (the least inclusive clade including ''Aegotheles cristatus'' and ''Apus apus'').[
]
References
Neognathae
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