Internal fossil constraints have more effect on the age estimates of crown Palaeognathae than different phylogenomic data type.

ABSTRACT: Palaeognathae is an ancient bird lineage that includes the volant tinamous and six flightless lineages: ostrich, rhea, cassowary, emu, kiwi (extant) and moa, elephant bird (extinct). Over the past decade, a consensus has emerged on the relationships within the group. In this consensus, the ostrich branch splits first, followed by rheas, a clade containing tinamou and moa and a clade with the emu and cassowary sister to the kiwi and elephant bird. However, the timing of the origin of these major clades remains uncertain. In phylogenomic studies, the origin of the crown Palaeognathae is typically dated to the K-Pg boundary (∼66 Ma), though one study suggested a younger Early Eocene age (∼51 Ma). This discrepancy might result from the number and position of fossil priors (calibration strategi

SUBMITTER: Selvatti AP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12368558 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature