Early diversity of bird ancestors

See also: Protobirds and Avialae

Ichthyornis, which lived 93 million years ago, was the first known prehistoric bird relative preserved with teeth.

Diversification of modern birds

See also: Sibley–Ahlquist taxonomy of birds and dinosaur classification

Aves Palaeognatha  
e
Struthioniformes
   
 
 
Tinamiformes
 

Neognathae  
Other birds
    (Neoaves)

Galloanserae  
Anseriforme
    s

 
Galliformes
 

Basal divergences of modern birds

based on Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy

All modern birds lie within the crown group Aves (alternately Neornithes), which has two subdivisions:
the Palaeognathae, which includes the flightless ratites (such as the ostriches) and the weak-flying tinamous,
and the extremely diverse Neognathae, containing all other birds.[39] These two subdivisions are often given
the rank of superorder,[40] although Livezey and Zusi assigned them "cohort" rank.[5] Depending on
the taxonomic viewpoint, the number of known living bird species varies anywhere from 9,800 [41] to 10,758.[42]
The discovery of Vegavis, a late Cretaceous member of the Anatidae, proved that the diversification of modern
birds started before the Cenozoic era.[43] The affinities of an earlier fossil, the possible galliform Austinornis
lentus, dated to about 85 million years ago,[44] are still too controversial to provide a fossil evidence of modern
bird diversification.
Most studies agree on a Cretaceous age for the most recent common ancestor of modern birds but estimates
range from the Middle Cretaceous[1] to the latest Late Cretaceous.[45] Similarly, there is no agreement on whether
most of the early diversification of modern birds occurred before or after the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction
event.[46] This disagreement is in part caused by a divergence in the evidence; most molecular dating studies
suggests a Cretaceous evolutionary radiation, while fossil evidence points to a Cenozoic radiation (the so-called
'rocks' versus 'clocks' controversy). Previous attempts to reconcile molecular and fossil evidence have proved
controversial,[46][47] but more recent estimates, using a more comprehensive sample of fossils and a new way of
calibrating molecular clocks, showed that while modern birds originated early in the Late Cretaceous, a pulse of
diversification in all major groups occurred around the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event. [48]