Parent taxon: Pelecanimorphae according to G. Sangster and G. Mayr 2021
See also del Hoyo et al. 2014, Mayr 2022 and Zvonok et al. 2016
Sister taxa: Balaenicipitiformes, Ciconiiformes, Pelecaniformes
Subtaxa: Anhingidae Fregatidae Mangystania Phalacrocoracidae Plotopteridae Sulidae
Ecology: ground dwelling carnivore
Distribution:
• Quaternary of Afghanistan (1 collection), American Samoa (1), Argentina (2), Australia (7), the Bahamas (1), Brazil (1), Chile (1), the Congo-Kinshasa (1), Cook Islands (5), Cyprus (1), Egypt (4), Estonia (1), Finland (1), French Polynesia (7), Gibraltar (2), Greece (4), Italy (4), Japan (8), Madagascar (3), the Marshall Islands (2), Mauritius (2), Mexico (6), Micronesia (4), Monaco (1), New Zealand (8), Norfolk Island (9), North Pacific (1), Northern Mariana Islands (1), Norway (1), Peru (2), Pitcairn (9), Portugal (2), the Russian Federation (2), Saint Helena (17), Solomon Islands (23), South Africa (4), Spain (4), Tanzania (3), Ukraine (1), the United Kingdom (17), United States (65: Alaska, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia), Vanuatu (1), Venezuela (6)
• Blancan of United States (17: California, Florida)
• Pliocene to Pleistocene of Italy (1), United States (1: California)
• Pliocene of Australia (2), Chad (3), Chile (2), India (1), Kenya (1), Mongolia (1), Morocco (1), Peru (2), South Africa (2), Ukraine (2), United States (8: California, Florida, Idaho, North Carolina)
• Huayquerian of Argentina (2)
• Hemphillian of Mexico (1), United States (3: Florida)
• Miocene to Pliocene of Chile (1), Kenya (1), United States (1: California)
• Miocene of Argentina (2), Australia (1), Austria (1), Brazil (4), Bulgaria (1), Chad (2), Chile (2), Colombia (1), the Czech Republic (1), Ethiopia (6), France (3), Germany (5), Hungary (2), Japan (2), Kenya (1), Mexico (5), Moldova (1), Peru (9), Portugal (1), Romania (1), Slovakia (1), Spain (2), Tunisia (1), Turkey (1), Ukraine (1), United States (32: California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon, Virginia)
• Oligocene of Australia (8), Canada (1: British Columbia), Egypt (1), France (3), Germany (3), Japan (16), Kazakhstan (1), United States (14: California, Colorado, Oregon, Washington)
• Eocene to Oligocene of United States (1: Washington)
• Eocene of Germany (1), Japan (2), Kazakhstan (1), Romania (1), the United Kingdom (2), United States (9: Oregon, Virginia, Wyoming)
• Cretaceous of United States (1: Wyoming)
Total: 453 collections including 723 occurrences