Editing Galliformes (section)

== Systematics and evolution ==
[[File:Gall-dindi.jpg|thumb|left|Despite its distinct appearance, the [[wild turkey]] is actually a very close relative of [[pheasant]]s]]
The living Galliformes were once divided into seven or more [[family (biology)|families]]. Despite their distinctive appearance, grouse and [[Meleagris|turkeys]] probably do not warrant separation as families due to their recent origin from [[partridge]]- or [[pheasant]]-like birds. The turkeys became larger after their ancestors colonized temperate and subtropical [[North America]], where pheasant-sized competitors were absent. The ancestors of grouse, though, adapted to harsh climates and could thereby colonize [[subarctic]] regions. Consequently, the [[Phasianidae]] are expanded in current taxonomy to include the former [[Tetraonidae]] and [[Meleagrididae]] as [[subfamily|subfamilies]].<ref>Kimball ''et al.'' (1999), Dyke et al. (2003), Smith ''et al.'' (2005), Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b)</ref>

The [[Anseriformes]] ([[waterfowl]]) and the Galliformes together make up the [[Galloanserae]]. They are [[basal (evolution)|basal]] among the living [[Neognathae|neognathous]] birds, and normally follow the [[Paleognathae]] (ratites and tinamous) in modern bird classification systems. This was first proposed in the [[Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy]] and has been the one major change of that proposed scheme that was almost universally adopted. However, the Galliformes as they were traditionally delimited are called '''Gallomorphae''' in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, which splits the [[Cracidae]] and [[Megapodiidae]] as an [[order (biology)|order]] "'''Craciformes'''". This is not a natural group, however, but rather an erroneous result of the now-obsolete [[phenetic]] methodology employed in the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy.<ref>Smith ''et al.'' (2005), Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b)</ref> Phenetic studies do not distinguish between [[plesiomorph]]ic and [[apomorph]]ic characters, which leads to [[basal (evolution)|basal]] lineages appearing as [[monophyletic]] groups.

Historically, the [[buttonquail]]s (Turnicidae), [[mesite]]s (Mesitornithidae) and the [[hoatzin]] (''Opisthocomus hoazin'') were placed in the Galliformes, too. The former are now known to be [[Charadriiformes|shorebirds]] adapted to an inland lifestyle, whereas the mesites are probably closely related to [[Columbidae|pigeons and doves]]. The relationships of the hoatzin are entirely obscure, and it is usually treated as a [[monotypic]] order Opisthocomiformes to signify this.

The fossil record for the Galliformes is incomplete.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Jackson|first=Christine E.|title=Peacock|url=https://archive.org/details/peacockreaktionb00jack|url-access=limited|year=2006|pages=[https://archive.org/details/peacockreaktionb00jack/page/n16 15]|publisher=Reaktion Books |isbn=9781861892935}}</ref>

{{Cladogram
|caption=Phylogeny of the Galliformes based a study by De Chen and collaborators published in 2021.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1=Chen | first1=D. | last2=Hosner | first2=P.A. | last3=Dittmann | first3=D.L. | last4=O’Neill | first4=J.P. | last5=Birks | first5=S.M. | last6=Braun | first6=E.L. | last7=Kimball | first7=R.T. | date=2021 | title=Divergence time estimation of Galliformes based on the best gene shopping scheme of ultraconserved elements | journal=BMC Ecology and Evolution | volume=21 | issue=1 | pages=209 | doi=10.1186/s12862-021-01935-1 | pmid=34809586 | pmc=8609756 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The number of species are from the list maintained by [[Frank Gill (ornithologist)|Frank Gill]], [[Pamela Rasmussen]] and David Donsker on behalf of the [[International Ornithologists' Union]].<ref name=ioc-megapodes>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=24 December 2023 | title=Megapodes, guans, guineafowl, New World quail | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/bow/megapodes/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=27 May 2024 }}</ref><ref name=ioc-pheasants>{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor1-link=Frank Gill (ornithologist) | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | editor3-last=Rasmussen | editor3-first=Pamela | editor3-link=Pamela Rasmussen | date=24 December 2023 | title=Pheasants, partridges, francolins | work=IOC World Bird List Version 14.1 | url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/pheasants/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union | accessdate=27 May 2024 }}</ref>
|align=centre
|cladogram={{Clade| style=font-size:100%;line-height:80%;width:550px;
|1={{clade
   |label1=Galliformes
   |1={{clade
      |1={{clade
         |1=[[Megapodiidae]] – megapodes (7 genera, 21 extant species) [[File:Annales des sciences naturelles (1881) (Aepypodius bruijnii).jpg|40 px]]
         |2={{clade
            |1=[[Cracidae]] – chachalacas, curassows, guans (11 genera, 57 species) [[File:Mitu mitu white background.jpg|30 px]]
            |2={{clade
               |1=[[Numididae]] – guineafowl (4 genera, 8 species) [[File:Keulemans Onze vogels 1 57 white background.jpg|40 px]]
               |2={{clade
                  |1=[[Odontophoridae]] – New World quail (10 genera, 34 species) [[File:D'Orbigny-Colin de Californie.jpg|30 px]]
                  |2=[[Phasianidae]] – pheasants & allies (54 genera, 188 species) [[File:Red Junglefowl by George Edward Lodge white background.png|40 px]]
                  }}
               }}
            }}
         }}
      }}
   }}
}}
}}

=== Evolution ===
[[Galloanserae]]-like birds were one of the main survivors of the [[K-T Event]], that killed off the rest of the dinosaurs. The dominant birds of the dinosaur era were the [[enantiornithes]], toothed birds that dominated the trees and skies. Unlike those enantiornithes, the ancestors of the galliformes were a niche group that were toothless and ground-dwelling. When the asteroid impact killed off all non-avian dinosaurs, and the dominant birds, it destroyed all creatures that lived in trees and on open ground. The enantiornithes were wiped out, but the ancestors of galliformes were small and lived in the ground (unlike water for [[Anseriformes]]) which protected them from the blast and destruction.<ref>[https://www.science.org/content/article/quaillike-creature-was-only-bird-survive-dinosaur-killing-asteroid-impact Quaillike creatures were the only birds to survive the dinosaur-killing asteroid impact]</ref>

[[Fossil]]s of these galliform-like birds originate in the [[Late Cretaceous]], most notably those of ''[[Austinornis lentus]]''. Its partial left [[tarsometatarsus]] was found in the [[Austin Chalk]] near [[Fort McKinney, Texas]], dating to about 85 million years ago (Mya). This bird was quite certainly closely related to Galliformes, but whether it was a part of these or belongs elsewhere in the little-known galliform branch of Galloanserae is not clear. However, in 2004, Clarke classified it as a member of the larger group [[Pangalliformes]], more closely related to chickens than to ducks, but not a member of the [[crown group]] that includes all modern galliformes.<ref>Clarke (2004)</ref> Another specimen, [[PVPH]] 237, from the Late Cretaceous [[Portezuelo Formation]] ([[Turonian]]-[[Coniacian]], about 90 Mya) in the [[Sierra de Portezuelo]] ([[Argentina]]) has also been suggested to be an early galliform relative. This is a partial [[coracoid]] of a neornithine bird, which in its general shape and particularly the wide and deep attachment for the muscle joining the coracoid and the [[humerus]] bone resembles the more [[basal (evolution)|basal]] lineages of galliforms.<ref>Agnolin ''et al.'' (2006)</ref>

Additional galliform-like pangalliformes are represented by [[extinct]] families from the [[Paleogene]], namely the [[Gallinuloididae]], [[Paraortygidae]] and [[Quercymegapodiidae]]. In the early [[Cenozoic]], some additional birds may or may not be early Galliformes, though even if they are, they are unlikely to belong to extant families:
* †''[[Argillipes]]'' (London Clay Early Eocene of England)<!-- AmMusNovit3360. Auk98:199. -->
* †''[[Coturnipes]]'' (Early Eocene of England, and Virginia, USA?)<!-- AmMusNovit3360. -->
* †''[[Palaeophasianus]]'' (Willwood Early Eocene of Bighorn County, USA)
* †''[[Percolinus]]'' (London Clay Early Eocene of England)<!-- AmMusNovit3360. -->
* †''[[Amitabha (bird)|Amitabha]]'' (Bridger middle Eocene of Forbidden City, USA) – phasianid?
* †''"Palaeorallus" alienus'' (middle Oligocene of Tatal-Gol, Mongolia)<!-- BullAMNH151:1 -->
* †''[[Anisolornis]]'' (Santa Cruz Middle Miocene of Karaihen, Argentina)<!-- BullAMNH151:1. Evolution39:1174. -->

From the mid-[[Eocene]] onwards – about 45 Mya or so, true galliforms are known, and these completely replace their older relatives in the early [[Neogene]]. Since the earliest representatives of living galliform families apparently belong to the [[Phasianidae]] – the youngest family of galliforms, the other families of Galliformes must be at least of [[Early Eocene]] origin but might even be as old as the Late Cretaceous. The [[ichnotaxon]] ''Tristraguloolithus cracioides'' is based on fossil eggshell fragments from the Late Cretaceous [[Oldman Formation]] of southern [[Alberta]], Canada, which are similar to [[chachalaca]] eggs,<ref>Zelenitsky ''et al.'' (1996)</ref> but in the absence of bone material, their relationships cannot be determined except that they are apparently [[Bird|avian]] in origin.

Modern genera of phasianids start appearing around the [[Oligocene]]-[[Miocene]] boundary, roughly 25–20 Mya. It is not well known whether the living genera of the other, older, galliform families originated around the same time or earlier, though at least in the New World quail, pre-Neogene forms seem to belong to genera that became entirely extinct later on.

A number of Paleogene to mid-Neogene fossils are quite certainly Galliformes, but their exact relationships in the order cannot be determined:

* †Galliformes gen. et sp. indet. (Oligocene) – formerly in ''Gallinuloides''; phasianid?<ref>Specimen [[Museum of Comparative Zoology|MCZ]] 342506. A [[Anatomical terms of location#Proximal and distal|proximal]] [[humerus]] of a bird larger than ''[[Gallinuloides]]'': Mayr & Weidig (2004)</ref>
* †''[[Palaealectoris]]'' (Agate Fossil Beds Early Miocene of Sioux County, USA) – tetraonine?<!-- ActaZoolCracov45:S263. Condor32:152. -->

=== List of major taxa ===
{{See also|List of Galliformes}}
For a long time, the pheasants, partridges, and relatives were indiscriminately lumped in the Phasianidae, variously including or excluding turkeys, grouse, New World quail, and guineafowl, and divided into two [[subfamily|subfamilies]] – the [[Phasianinae]] (pheasant-like forms) and the [[Perdicinae]] (partridge-like forms). This crude arrangement was long considered to be in serious need of revision, but even with modern [[DNA sequence]] analyses and [[cladistic]] methods, the [[phylogeny]] of the Phasianidae has resisted complete resolution.<ref name = kimball9901+crowe06ab>Kimball ''et al.'' (1999, 2001), Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b)</ref>
[[File:Palaeortyx.jpg|thumb|''[[Palaeortyx]]'' skeleton, {{Lang|fr|[[Muséum national d'histoire naturelle]]}}, Paris]]

A tentative list of the higher-level galliform [[taxa]], listed in evolutionary sequence, is:<ref name = kimball9901+crowe06ab /><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Taxonomic Updates – IOC World Bird List|url=https://www.worldbirdnames.org/new/updates/taxonomy/|access-date=2021-08-01|language=en-US}}</ref>
* †''[[Archaeophasianus]]'' <small>Lambrecht 1933</small> (Oligocene? – Late Miocene)<!--ActaZoolCracov45:S263. Condor54:174. -->
* †''[[Argillipes]]'' <small>Harrison & Walker 1977</small>
* †''[[Austinornis]]'' <small>Clarke 2004</small> [''[[Pedioecetes]]'' <small>Baird 1858</small>] (Austin Chalk Late Cretaceous of Fort McKinney, USA)<!-- AmMusNovit62:1,286:1.  -->
* †''[[Chambiortyx]]'' <small>Mourer-Chauviré et al. 2013</small>
* †''[[Coturnipes]]'' <small>Harrison & Walker 1977</small>
* †''[[Cyrtonyx tedfordi]]'' (Barstow Late Miocene of Barstow, USA)<!--  Condor54:296; Condor60:252. -->
* †''[[Linquornis]]'' <small>Yeh 1980</small> (middle Miocene)
* †''[[Namaortyx]]'' <small>Mourer-Chauviré, Pickford & 2011</small>
* †''[[Palaeorallus alienus]]'' <small>Kuročkin 1968 nomen dubium</small>
* †''[[Sobniogallus]]'' <small>Tomek et al. 2014</small>
* †''[[Tristraguloolithus]]'' <small>Zelenitsky, Hills & Curri 1996</small> [ootaxa- cracid?]
* †''[[Procrax]]'' <small>Tordoff & Macdonald 1957</small> (middle Eocene? – Early Oligocene)<!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211. -->
* †''[[Paleophasianus]]'' <small>Wetmore 1940</small>
* †''[[Taoperdix]]'' <small>Milne-Edwards 1869</small> (Late Oligocene)<!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211. ActaZoolCracov45:S263. -->
* Family †[[Gastornithidae]]?<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=McInerney |first1=Phoebe L. |last2=Blokland |first2=Jacob C. |last3=Worthy |first3=Trevor H. |date=2024-06-02 |title=Skull morphology of the enigmatic Genyornis newtoni Stirling and Zeitz, 1896 (Aves, Dromornithidae), with implications for functional morphology, ecology, and evolution in the context of Galloanserae |journal=Historical Biology |language=en |volume=36 |issue=6 |pages=1093–1165 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2024.2308212 |issn=0891-2963|doi-access=free }}</ref> <small>Fürbringer, 1888</small>
** ''[[Gastornis]]'' <small>Hébert, 1855 (vide Prévost, 1855)</small> [Diatryma <small>Cope, 1876] (</small>Paleocene-Eocene) 
*Family †[[Sylviornithidae]]?<ref name=":2" /> <small>Mourer-Chauviré & Balouet, 2005</small>
**†''[[Sylviornis]]'' <small>Poplin, 1980</small> (Holocene)
**†''[[Megavitiornis]]'' <small>Worthy, 2000</small> (Holocene)

* Family †[[Paraortygidae]] <small>Mourer-Chauviré 1992</small><!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211; JOrnithol147:31 -->
** †''[[Pirortyx]]'' <small>Brodkorb 1964</small>
** †''[[Scopelortyx]]'' <small>Mourer-Chauviré, Pickford & Senut 2015</small>
** †''[[Paraortyx]]'' <small>Gaillard 1908 sensu Brodkorb 1964</small>
** †''[[Xorazmortyx]]'' <small>Zelenkov & Panteleyev 2019</small>
* Family †[[Quercymegapodiidae]] <small>Mourer-Chauviré 1992</small> <!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211 Palaeontology43:481 -->
** †''[[Taubacrex]]'' <small>Alvarenga 1988</small>
** †''[[Ameripodius]]'' <small>Alvarenga 1995</small>
** †''[[Quercymegapodius]]'' <small>Mourer-Chauviré 1992</small>
* Family [[Megapodiidae]] – mound-builders and scrubfowl, or megapodes
** †''[[Mwalau]]'' <small>Worthy et al. 2015</small> (Lini's megapode)
** †''[[Ngawupodius]]'' <small>& Ivison 1999</small>
** ''[[Brushturkey group]]''
*** ''[[Talegalla]]'' <small>Lesson 1828</small>
*** ''[[Leipoa]]'' <small>Gould 1840</small> [''[[Progura]]'' <small>de Vis 1889</small>; ''[[Chosornis]]'' <small>de Vis 1889</small>; ''[[Palaeopelargus]]'' <small>de Vis 1892</small>] (Malleefowl)
*** ''[[Alectura]]'' <small>Gray 1831</small> [''[[Catheturus]]'' <small>Swainson 1837</small>] (Australian Brushturkeys)
*** ''[[Aepypodius]]'' <small>Oustalet 1880</small>
** ''[[Scrubfowl group]]''
*** ''[[Macrocephalon]]'' <small>Müller 1846</small> [''[[Megacephalon]]'' <small>Gray 1846</small>; ''[[Megacephalon]]'' <small>Gray 1844 nomen nudum</small>; ''[[Galeocephala]]'' <small>Mathews 1926</small>] (Maleos)
*** ''[[Eulipoa]]'' <small>Ogilvie-Grant 1893</small> (Moluccan Megapodes)
*** ''[[Megapodius]]'' <small>Gaimard 1823 non (sic) Mathews 1913</small> [''[[Megathelia]]'' <small>Mathews 1914</small>; ''[[Amelous]]'' <small>Gloger 1841</small>]
* Family [[Cracidae]] – chachalacas, guans and curassows
** †''[[Archaealectrornis]]'' <small>Crowe & Short 1992</small> (Oligocene)<!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211. CanJEarthSci39:19 -->
** †''[[Boreortalis]]'' <small>Brodkorb 1954</small>
** †''[[Palaeonossax]]'' <small>Wetmore 1956</small> (Brule Late Oligocene of South Dakota, USA)<!-- *Condor58:234 -->
** [[Penelopinae]] <small>Bonaparte 1851</small> (Guans)
*** ''[[Chamaepetes]]'' <small>Wagler 1832</small> (black & sickle-winged guan)
*** ''[[Penelopina]]'' <small>Reichenbach 1861</small> (Highland Guans)
*** ''[[Aburria]]'' <small>Reichenbach 1853</small> [''[[Opetioptila]]'' <small>Sundevall 1873</small>; ''[[Pipile]]'' <small>Bonaparte 1856 non</small> ''[[Pipilo]]'' <small>Vieillot 1816</small>; ''[[Cumana]]'' <small>Coues 1900</small>]
*** ''[[Penelope (genus)|Penelope]]'' <small>Merrem 1786</small> [''[[Penelopsis]]'' <small>Bonaparte 1856</small>]
** [[Cracinae]] <small>Rafinesque 1815</small>
*** ''[[Ortalis]]'' <small>Merrem 1786</small> [''[[Ganix]]'' <small>Rafinesque 1815</small>] {[[Ortalidini]] <small>Donegan 2012</small>} (Chachalacas)
*** ''[[Oreophasis]]'' <small>Gray 1844</small> {[[Oreophasini]] <small>Bonaparte 1853</small>} (Horned Guans)
*** [[Cracini]] <small>Rafinesque 1815</small> (Curassows)
**** ''[[Nothocrax]]'' <small>Burmeister 1856</small> (Nocturnal Curassows)
**** ''[[Pauxi]]'' <small>Temminck 1813</small> [''[[Ourax]]'' <small>Cuvier 1817</small>; ''[[Lophocerus]]'' <small>Swainson 1837 non Hemprich & Ehrenberg 1833</small>; ''[[Urax]]'' <small>Reichenbach 1850</small>]
**** ''[[Mitu (bird)|Mitu]]'' <small>Lesson 1831</small> (razor-billed curassows)
**** ''[[Crax]]'' <small>Linnaeus 1758</small>
* Suborder [[Phasiani]]
** Family †[[Gallinuloididae]] – tentatively placed here<!-- ActaPalaeontolPol49:211; JOrnithol147:31; Zootaxa199:1 -->
*** †''[[Gallinuloides]]'' <small>Eastman 1900</small> [''[[Palaeobonasa]]'' <small>Shufeldt 1915</small>]
*** †''[[Paraortygoides]]'' <small>Mayr 2000</small>
** Family [[Numididae]] – guineafowl
*** ''[[Guttera]]'' <small>Wagler 1832</small>
*** ''[[Numida]]'' <small>Linnaeus 1764</small> [''[[Querelea]]'' <small>Reichenbach 1852</small>] (Helmeted Guineafowl)
*** ''[[Acryllium]]'' <small>Gray 1840</small> (Vulturine Guineafowl)
*** ''[[Agelastes]]'' <small>Bonaparte 1850</small>
** Family [[Odontophoridae]] – New World quail
*** †''[[Miortyx]]'' <small>Miller 1944</small>
*** †''[[Nanortyx]]'' <small>Weigel 1963</small>
*** †''[[Neortyx]]'' <small>Holman 1961</small>
*** [[Ptilopachinae]] <small>Bowie, Coehn & Crowe 2013</small>
**** ''[[Ptilopachus]]'' <small>Swainson 1837</small>
*** [[Odontophorinae]] <small>Gould 1844</small>
**** ''[[Rhynchortyx]]'' <small>Ogilvie-Grant 1893</small> (Tawny-faced Quail)
**** ''[[Oreortyx]]'' <small>Baird 1858</small> [''[[Orortyx]]'' <small>Coues 1882</small>] (Mountain Quail)
**** ''[[Dendrortyx]]'' <small>Gould 1844</small> (Wood Partridges)
**** ''[[Philortyx]]'' <small>Gould 1846 non Des Murs 1854</small> (Banded Quail)
**** ''[[Colinus]]'' <small>Goldfuss 1820</small> [''[[Eupsychortyx]]'' <small>Gould 1844</small>; ''[[Gnathodon (quail)|Gnathodon]]'' <small>{{ill|August Vollrath Streubel|fi|lt=Streubel}} 1842</small>; ''[[Ortygia]]'' <small>Boie 1826</small>; ''[[Philortyx]]'' <small>Des Murs 1854 non Gould 1846</small>] (Bobwhites)
**** ''[[Callipepla]]'' <small>Wagler 1832</small> [''[[Lophortyx]]'' <small>Bonaparte 1838</small>] ()
**** ''[[Cyrtonyx]]'' <small>Gould 1844</small> ()
**** ''[[Dactylortyx]]'' <small>Ogilvie-Grant 1893</small> (Singing Quail)
**** ''[[Odontophorus]]'' <small>Vieillot 1816</small> [''[[Dentophorus]]'' <small>Boie 1828</small>] (Wood Quail)
** Family [[Phasianidae]] – [[pheasant]]s, [[partridge]]s and relatives
*** †''[[Alectoris” pliocaena]]'' <small>Tugarinov 1940b</small> 
*** †''[[Bantamyx]]'' <small>Kuročkin 1982</small> 
*** †''[[Centuriavis|Centuriavis lioae]]'' <small>Ksepka ''et al.'', 2022</small>
*** †''[[Diangallus]]'' <small>Hou 1985</small>
*** †''[["Gallus" beremendensis]]'' <small>Jánossy 1976b</small>
*** †''[["Gallus" europaeus]]'' <small>Harrison 1978</small> 
*** †''[[Lophogallus]]'' <small>Zelenkov & Kuročkin 2010</small> 
*** †''[[Megalocoturnix]]'' <small>Sánchez Marco 2009</small> 
*** †''[[Miophasianus]]'' <small>Brodkorb 1952</small> [''[[Miophasianus]]'' <small>Lambrecht 1933 nomen nudum</small> ; ''[[Miogallus]]'' <small>Lambrecht 1933</small> ]
*** †''[[Palaeocryptonyx]]'' <small>Depéret 1892</small> [''[[Chauvireria]]'' <small>Boev 1997</small>; ''[[Pliogallus]]'' <small>Tugarinov 1940b non Gaillard 1939</small>; ''[[Lambrechtia]]'' <small>Janossy 1974</small> ]
*** †''[[Palaeortyx]]'' <small>Milne-Edwards 1869</small> [''[[Palaeoperdix]]'' <small>Milne-Edwards 1869</small>]<!-- ActaOrnithol41:129. AnnNHMusWien104A:237. CanJEarthSci39:19. Endins14:95. Geobios2:157,36:719. Palaeontology43:481;48:1331. PaleontogrItal89:3. ZoolJLinnSoc128:149. -->
*** †''[[Plioperdix]]'' <small>Kretzoi 1955</small> [''[[Pliogallus]]'' <small>Tugarinov 1940 nec Gaillard 1939</small>]
*** †''[[Rustaviornis]]'' <small>Burchak-Abramovich & Meladze 1972</small> 
*** †''[[Schaubortyx]]'' <small>Brodkorb 1964</small> 
*** †''[[Shandongornis]]'' <small>Yeh 1997</small> 
*** †''[[Shanxiornis]]'' <small>Wang et al. 2006</small> 
*** †''[[Tologuica]]'' <small>Zelenkov & Kuročkin 2009</small>
*** Subfamily [[Rollulinae]] <small>[[Charles Lucien Bonaparte|Bonaparte]], 1850</small>
*** Subfamily [[Phasianinae]] 
****Tribe [[Lerwini]] <small>[[Hans von Boetticher|von Boetticher]], 1939</small> – snow partridge
****Tribe [[Ithaginini]] <small>Wolters 197</small> – blood pheasant
****Tribe [[Lophophorini]] <small>Gray, 1841</small> – monals, monal-partridges, and tragopans
****Tribe [[Pucrasiini]] <small>Wolters 1976</small> – koklass pheasant
****Tribe [[Meleagridini]] – turkey
****Tribe [[Grouse|Tetraonini]] <small>Leach 1820</small> – grouse
****Tribe [[Rhizotherini]] – long-billed partridges
****Tribe [[Phasianini]] <small>Horsfield 1821</small> – true pheasants and partridges
****
***Subfamily [[Pavoninae]]
****Tribe [[Pavonini]] <small>Rafinesque 1815</small> – peafowl, arguses, and ''Tropicoperdix'' partridges
****Tribe [[Polyplectronini|Polyprectronini]] <small>Blyth 1852</small> – peacock-pheasants, Asian spurfowl, and crimson-headed partridge
****Tribe [[Gallini (bird)|Gallini]] <small>Brehm 1831</small> – junglefowl, bamboo partridges, and true francolins
****Tribe [[Coturnicini]] <small>Reichenbach, 1848</small> - Old World quail, snowcocks, and allies

The relationships of many pheasants and partridges were formerly very badly resolved and much confounded by [[adaptive radiation]] (in the former) and [[convergent evolution]] (in the latter).<ref>Dyke ''et al.'' (2003)</ref> Thus, the bulk of the Phasianidae was alternatively treated as a single subfamily Phasianinae. The grouse, turkeys, true pheasants, etc., would then become [[tribe (biology)|tribes]] of this subfamily, similar to how the Coturnicinae are commonly split into a quail and a spurfowl tribe.<ref>See e.g. the phylogenies in Kimball ''et al.'' (2006) and Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b)</ref> In 2021, Kimball ''et al''. found the family to comprise three distinct subfamilies, with two containing multiple genera; these results were followed by the [[International Ornithological Congress]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2021-05-01|title=A phylogenomic supermatrix of Galliformes (Landfowl) reveals biased branch lengths|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1055790321000245|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|language=en|volume=158|pages=107091|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107091|issn=1055-7903|last1=Kimball|first1=Rebecca T.|last2=Hosner|first2=Peter A.|last3=Braun|first3=Edward L.|pmid=33545275|bibcode=2021MolPE.15807091K |s2cid=231963063|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Galliformes|url=http://www.bird-phylogeny.de/superorders/galloanseres/galliformes/|access-date=2021-08-01|website=bird-phylogeny|language=de-DE}}</ref>

The partridge of [[Europe]] is not closely related to other partridge-like Galliformes, as already indicated by its [[sexually dimorphic]] coloration and possession of more than 14 [[rectrices]], traits it shares with the other advanced phasianids. However, among these its relationships are obscure; it is unclear whether it is closer to the turkeys or to certain short-tailed pheasants like ''[[Ithaginis]]'', ''[[Lophophorus]]'', ''[[Pucrasia]]'', and ''[[Tragopan]]''.<ref>Kimball ''et al.'' (1999, 2001), Smith ''et al.'' (2005), Crowe ''et al.'' (2006a,b)</ref> In 2021, Kimball ''et al''. found it to belong to the subfamily [[Phasianini]], alongside the true pheasants.<ref name=":1" />