Apodiformes
The Swifts ( Apodiformes ) are an order of birds. They include the sailor ( Apodidae ) with 92 species, tree bats ( Hemiprocnidae ) with four species, the hummingbirds ( Trochilidae ), provide the 330-340 species, and more recently, the cave Schwalme ( Aegothelidae ) with nine species. The only occurring in Germany Swifts are the swifts (Apus apus ) and the Alpine Swift ( Tachymarptis melba ).
System
Traditionally, three families, the sailors, the tree sailors and the hummingbirds, counted among the sailors birds. 2009, the cave Schwalme were added, which are the sister group of the three other families and traditionally in the order of the Schwalm -like ( Caprimulgiformes ) were asked.
The relationships were evident in the following cladogram.
Schwalm -behaved ( Caprimulgiformes )
Cave Schwalme ( Aegothelidae )
Hummingbirds ( Trochilidae )
Swift ( Apodidae )
Tree Swift ( Hemiprocnidae )
Phylogeny
Fossil can be detected the Swifts since the early Tertiary. Jungornis from the Oligocene shows both features of the highly derived hummingbirds as well as more generalized sailors birds. It forms with the hummingbirds a monophyletic group. Scaniacypselus from the Middle Eocene is close to the sailors. Aegialornis from the Middle Eocene of France and Germany was also found in the Messel pit and is placed in the extinct family Aegialornithidae.