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Which birds are placed with pelicans in an alternate classification of Pelecaniformes?
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Pelecaniform
European white pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in flight.
In an alternate classification of the order Pelecaniformes, pelicans are grouped with the following birds:
- Herons and egrets (family Ardeidae)
- Ibises and spoonbills (family Threskiornithidae)
- The hammerhead (Scopus umbretta)
- The shoebill (Balaeniceps rex)12
This revised classification reflects modern genetic analysis, which suggests that other birds traditionally placed in the orderāsuch as cormorants, anhingas, frigate birds, gannets, and boobiesāare more accurately categorized within their own order, Suliformes, while tropic birds are placed in the order Phaethontiformes.12