After Chiappe, Ji, Ji & Norell, 1999, Paul, 2002, Zhou & Zheng, 2002b and Chiappe, 2002

Alternative [older] phylogeny of Basal Aves after Chiappe, 1995, 1998, Chiappe, Ji, Ji & Norell, 1999, Paul, 2002 and Zhou & Zheng, 2002b

Alternative phylogeny of Basal Aves after Hou et al., 1996, Hou et al., 1999 & Feduccia, 1996.

Alternative phylogeny after Marya´nska, Osmólska & Wolsan, 2002.

<==o Aves Linnaeus, 1758 sensu lato (linnut, birds)
   |--o Archaeopterygidae Huxley, 1871 [Archaeopterygiformes]
   |  |?- †Protarchaeopteryx robusta Ji & Ji, 1997 [=? Incisivosaurus gauthieri Xu, Cheng, Wang & Chang, 2002, an oviraptorid]
   |  `--o †Archaeopteryx von Meyer, 1861 [Synonyms] (urvogel; liskolintu)
   |     |-- †A. lithographica von Meyer, 1861 [Synonyms]
   |     `-- †A. siemensii Dames, 1897 sensu Mayr, Pohl, Hartman & Peters, 2007 [Synonyms]
   `--+-- †Jeholornis prima Zhou & Zhang, 2002b
      |?- †Dalianraptor cuhe Gao & Liu, 2005; L.Cret. EAs.
      |?- †Jixiangornis orientalis Ji et al., 2002; L.Cret. EAs.
      |?- †Shenzhouraptor sinensis Ji et al., 2002; L.Cret. EAs.
      |?- †Yandangornis longicaudatus Cai & Zhao, 1999 [Yandangornithiformes: Yandangornithidae:]
      `--o Avebrevicauda Paul, 2002 (birds with pygostyle; pygostyliset linnut)
         |-- †Zhongjiaornis yangi Zhou, Zhang & Li, 2009
         |-- †Sapeornis chaoyangensis Zhou & Zhang, 2002a
         `--o Pygostylia Chatterjee, 1997
            |--o †Confuciusornithidae Hou et al., 1995
            |  |-- †Changchengornis hengdaoziensis Ji, Chiappe & Ji, 1999
            |  `-- †Confuciusornis sanctus Hou et al., 1995 [Synonyms]
            `--o Ornithothoraces Chiappe & Calvo, 1994 (modern rib-cased birds; nykyrintakehäiset linnut)
               |-- †Enantiornithes Walker, 1981 [Enantiornithomorpha Chiappe et al. 1999] ("opposite birds"; vastalinnut)
               `-- Ornithuromorpha Chiappe, Ji, Ji & Norell, 1999 [Ornithurae sensu Feduccia 1996; Euornithes sensu Sereno, 2005] (ornithurines, modernlike birds; nykylintumaiset linnut)

Avialae/Aves incertae sedis:

    †Gallornis straeleni [nomen dubium] L. Cret. WEu.
    †Wyleyia valdensis Harrison & Walker, 1973; L. Cret. WEu. [nomen dubium]
    †Platanavis nana Nessov, 1992; U. Cret. CAs.

Some phylogenetic defenitions:

 

After Hou et al., 1996, Hou et al., 1999 & Feduccia, 1996

<==o Aves sensu traditionalis
   |--o Saururae Haeckel, 1866
   |  |--o Archaeopterygiformes
   |  |  |?- †Rahonavis
   |  |  |?- †Protarchaeopteryx
   |  |  |?- †Jeholornis
   |  |  `--o †Archaeopterygidae
   |  |     `-- †Archaeopteryx
   |  `--+?- †Alvarezsauridae
   |     `--+--o †Confuciusornithidae
   |        |  |-- †Changchengornis
   |        |  `-- †Confuciusornis
   |        `-- †Enantiornithes
   `-- Ornithurae

Note:

This is an alternative phylogeny [actually deductive, non-computer assisted phylogeny] of basal birds. It represents view of Alan Feduccia and some of his collaborators and students. They belive that Archaeopteryx, Confuciusornithidae and Enantiornithes form a monophyletic group, Saururae, which separated from ancestors of Ornithurae [= Ornithuromorpha] at Middle Jurassic times (180–160 Ma).

Alan Feduccia has also been in vocal opposition of the current orthodoxy, that regards birds as specialiced theropod dinosaurs. Unfortunately Mr. Feduccia or any of his supporters haven't come up with a detailed phylogenetic analysis that supports their views.
 

After Marya´nska, Osmólska & Wolsan, 2002, Paul, 2002, and Zhou & Zheng, 2002b

<==o Avialae
   `--o Aves
      |?- †Wyleyia
      |--o †Archaeopterygidae
      |  `-- †Archaeopteryx
      `--+?- †Rahonavis
         |-- †Jeholornis
         |-- †Deinonychosauria
         `--o Metornithes
            |-- †Oviraptorosauria
            `--o Avebrevicauda
               |-- †Sapeornis
               `--o Pygostylia
                  |--o †Confuciusornithidae
                  |  |-- †Changchengornis
                  |  `-- †Confuciusornis
                  `--o Ornithothoraces
                     |-- †Enantiornithes
                     `-- Ornithuromorpha

Note:

A recent phylogenetic analysis by Marya`nska et al. (2002), finally formalizes something that has been in the air last 15 years, ever since Gregory S. Paul published his book "Predatory Dinosaurs of the World" (1988). Greg has further elaboreted this view in his most recent book "Dinosaurs of the Air".

In their analysis Marya`nska et al., boldly point out that Oviraptors, which has been considerd as closely related, but primally flightless relatives of Avialae, are actually secondarily flightless and within Avialea as flightless birds!

In their analysis, Marya`nska et al., don't include Ornithothoracine birds, thus I have been forced to regard that they think that oviraptors are a sister group of Avebrevicauda as defined by Paul (2002)

Recent found of a long-tailed, dromaeosaur-like bird, Jeholornis and famous four-winged dromaeosaur Microraptor gui, gives more concrete evidence to support Greg's view of a secondarily flightless dino-birds.
 

After Chiappe, 1995, 1998, Chiappe, Ji, Ji & Norell, 1999, Paul, 2002 and Zhou & Zheng, 2002b

<==o Aves
   |--o Archaeopterygidae
   |  |-- †Protarchaeopteryx
   |  `-- †Archaeopteryx
   `--+?- †Rahonavis
      |-- †Jeholornis
      `--o Metornithes Chiappe, 1995 
         |?- †Alvarezsauridae
         `--o Avebrevicauda
            |-- †Sapeornis
            `--o Pygostylia
               |--o †Confuciusornithidae
               |  |-- †Changchengornis
               |  `-- †Confuciusornis
               `--o Ornithothoraces
                  |-- †Enantiornithes
                  `-- Ornithuromorpha

Note:

This tree presents older view of Luis M. Chiappe [1995, 1998]. At that time he treated Alvarezsaurids as very strange basal birds, more advanced than Archaeopteryx, but still very primitive.

More recently he has placed Alvarezsaurids outside Aves altogether. (Chiappe, 2002)

 
 

Reference(s):