Phasianinae
Subfamily of birds
title: "Phasianinae" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["phasianinae", "bird-subfamilies"] description: "Subfamily of birds" topic_path: "general/phasianinae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phasianinae" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Subfamily of birds ::
| image = Pheasant.jpg | image_caption = Erectile clade: represented by a Mongolian ringneck-type common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) cock | image2 = Pavo cristatus side view.jpg | image2_caption = Nonerectile clade: represented by an Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) peacock | taxon = Phasianinae | authority = Horsfield, 1821 | type_genus = Phasianus | type_genus_authority = Linnaeus, 1758 | subdivision_ranks = Genera | subdivision = See text
The Phasianinae (Horsfield, 1821) are a subfamily under the family Phasianidae of the order Galliformes. This subfamily notably includes the true pheasants, tragopans, tetraonids, Coturnicini, Pavonini, amongst other members.
Although this placement was once considered monophyletic and separate from the partridges, francolins and Old World quail (now-defunct Perdicinae) until the early 1990s, molecular phylogenies have shown that this subfamily is paraphyletic. For instance, certain genera like Lophophorus and Meleagris, as well as members of the genus Perdix, are cladistically more closely related to grouse and true pheasants, whereas other genera like Tetraogallus, Coturnix, and members in the genus Alectoris, share a much closer kinship to peafowl and junglefowl. There are two clades in this subfamily: the erectile clade and the non-erectile clade, referring to erectile tissue in the bare, non-feathered parts of the face. Both clades are believed to have diverged during the early Oligocene, about 30 million years ago.
The Phasianinae are characterized by strong sexual dimorphism, with males being highly ornate not limited to distinct coloration and patterning, as well as adornments such as combs, wattles, air sacs, tufts, crests, and long modified uppertail coverts (trains) and rectrices. Males are typically larger and heavier than females. Males play little to no part in rearing their offspring except a few species like the willow ptarmigan.
Their diet generally consists of seeds, grains, greens, and some invertebrates, with several being seasonally-specialized herbivores like grouse.
Genera in taxonomic order
This list is ordered to show presumed relationships between species. Tribes and subfamily names are based on the 4th edition of the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Genera without a tribe are considered to belong to tribe incertae sedis.
"Erectile clade"
::data[format=table]
| Image | Tribe | Genera |
|---|---|---|
| [[File:SnowPartridgeAtTungnathUttarakhandIndia.jpg | frameless | 220x220px]] |
| [[File:Ithaginis cruentus geoffroyi, Garzê Tibetan AP, Sichuan 9S3A1928.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:Temminck Tragopan.jpg | 220x220px]] | Lophophorini |
| [[File:Koklass Pheasant Manila3.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:Tetrao urogallus Richard Bartz.jpg | frameless | 300x300px]] |
| [[File:Rhizothera longirostris.jpg | frameless | 220x220px]] |
| [[File:Perdix perdix (Marek Szczepanek).jpg | frameless | 220x220px]] |
| [[File:Swinhoe's Pheasant 0673.jpg | 220x220px]] | Phasianini |
| :: |
"Non-erectile clade"
::data[format=table]
| Image | Tribe | Genera |
|---|---|---|
| [[File:Paonroue.JPG | 220x220px]] | Pavonini |
| [[File:Polyplectron_malacense_-captive_-male-8a.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:0A2A4859 Crimson-headed partridge.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:Arborophila chloropus - Kaeng Krachan.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:GalloperdixBicalcarataLegge.jpg | 220x220px]] | incertae sedis |
| [[File:Flickr_-Rainbirder-Ceylon_Junglefowl(Gallus_lafayetii)_Male.jpg | 220x220px]] | Gallini |
| [[File:Excalfactoria_chinensis_(aka).jpg | frameless | 220x220px]] |
| :: |
References
References
- (1999). "A molecular phylogeny of the pheasants and partridges suggests that these lineages are not monophyletic". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
- (2014). "Does more sequence data improve estimates of galliform phylogeny? Analyses of a rapid radiation using a complete data matrix". PeerJ.
- "Galliformes".
- Martin, Kathy. (1987-04-01). "Bi-parental care in willow ptarmigan: a luxury?". Animal Behaviour.
- Miller, Matthew L.. (2014-01-16). "The Grouse in Winter".
- (2021-05-01). "A phylogenomic supermatrix of Galliformes (Landfowl) reveals biased branch lengths". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
- "H&M4 Checklist family by family - The Trust for Avian Systematics".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::