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William Dalrymple (historian)
| Anserinae Temporal range: Middle Miocene to present
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|---|---|
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| Domestic European geese Anser anser domesticus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Anseriformes |
| Family: | Anatidae |
| Subfamily: | Anserinae Vigors, 1825 |
| Genera | |
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See text | |
| Synonyms | |
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Cygninae | |
The Anserinae are a subfamily in the waterfowl family Anatidae. It includes the swans and the true geese. Under alternative systematical concepts (see e.g., Terres & NAS, 1991), it is split into two subfamilies, the Anserinae contain the geese and the ducks, while the Cygninae contain the swans.
Systematics
- Genus Cygnus – true swans: The black-and-yellow-billed swans are sometimes separated in the genus Olor.
- Genus †Afrocygnus (Miocene of North Africa)
- Genus †Annakacygna – short-winged swans (Miocene of Japan)
- Genus †Megalodytes (Miocene of California)
True geese (Tribe Anserini)
- Genus Anser – grey and white geese
- Genus Branta – black geese (including †B. rhuax, formerly placed in Geochen)
Unresolved
- Genus Coscoroba – coscoroba swan
These two genera are distinct from other geese and often elevated to a subfamily of their own (Cereopsinae), or alternatively into the shelduck subfamily Tadorninae:
Tribe Cereopseini
- Genus Cereopsis – Cape Barren goose
- Genus †Cnemiornis – New Zealand geese (prehistoric)
Some enigmatic subfossils of very large goose-like birds from the Hawaiian Islands do not appear to be moa-nalos (goose-sized dabbling ducks) or B. rhuax. They cannot be assigned to any genus living today, though both may be fairly close to Branta:
References
- ^ "Fossilworks: Cygninae". Paleobiology Database. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
- ^ a b Olson, S.L.; James, H.F. (1991). "Descriptions of thirty two new species of birds from the Hawaiian Islands: Part I. Non-Passeriformes". AOU Ornithological Monographs. 45: 1–88.
- Terres, John K. & National Audubon Society (1991): The Audubon Society Encyclopedia of North American Birds. Wings Books, New York. ISBN 0-517-03288-0
Further reading
- Gonzalez, J.; Düttmann, H.; Wink, M. (2009). "Phylogenetic relationships based on two mitochondrial genes and hybridization patterns in Anatidae". Journal of Zoology. 279 (3): 310–318. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7998.2009.00622.x.
