Used here for the crown group of birds: the last common ancestor of living palaeognaths and neognaths and all descendants. Broader historical definitions also occur and should be stated explicitly.
The crown-bird lineage containing Galloanserae and other living birds outside Palaeognathae. Taxonomic membership and possession of a particular mobile palate are different claims.
A sparrow is a small perching bird; the common name is applied to more than one evolutionary group. An ecological description such as seed eating should therefore be separated from a claim that every bird called a sparrow belongs to one narrow lineage.
Waterfowl are birds of the duck, goose and swan group. Together with landfowl they form Galloanserae. Aquatic habits are common, but the evolutionary grouping is more specific than all birds that live near water.
Landfowl are birds of the chicken, pheasant and related group. They form one branch of Galloanserae, alongside waterfowl. The name identifies a lineage rather than every ground-feeding bird.
The crown-bird lineage containing ostriches, emus, kiwis, tinamous and relatives. Its palaeognathous palate is an anatomical specialization, not evidence that its members are ancestors of neognaths.
A tinamou is a palaeognath bird native to the Americas. Tinamous can fly, showing that membership in this evolutionary group is not equivalent to flightlessness.
An ostrich is a large flightless palaeognath bird with strong running adaptations. Its reduced flight apparatus and powerful hindlimbs illustrate evolutionary modification of the shared avian body plan.
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