Phaethontidae
Phaethontidae sunt familia avium maritimarum pelagicarum tropicarum, solae ordinis Phaethontiformium repraesentantes exstantes. Pars Pelecaniformium diu habebantur, sed genetica monstrat eas artius cognatas cum Eurypygiformibus. Sunt tres species in unum genus, Phaethontem, digestae. Nomina scientifica a Graeco phaethon 'sol' derivantur. Earum pennae plerumque sunt albae, pennis caudalibus praelongis et parvis cruribus pedibusque infirmis.

Taxinomia, systematica,evolutio 
Phaethontidae more maiorum in ordinem Pelecaniformes digerebantur, qui Pelecanidas, Phalacrocoracidas, Anhingidas, Sulidas, et Fregatidas comprehendebat. Taxinomia Sibley–Ahlquist Pelecaniformes cum aliis gregibus coniunxit ut "Ciconiiformes" permagnus grex essent. Qui autem grex, omnino paraphyleticus recentius monstratus, iterum diffissus est.

Microscopica structurae testarum ovorum enodatio a Constantino Mikhailov anno 1995 edita monstravit testas ovorum Phaethontidarum crassa aliorum Pelecaniformium materie miocroglobulari carere. Jarvis et alii, in "Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds," commentario anno 2014 divulgato, Phaethontidas artissime cum Eurypyga helias et Rhynocheto jubato ordinis Eurypygiformium coniungit, cum hi clades Aequornithes, gregem sororium "avium aquaticarum nuclearium" dictum, constituerent, coniecturam "Metaves" relinquentes.

Ordo Phaethontiformes
 Familia †Prophaethontidae Harrison & Walker 1976
 Genus †Prophaethon Andrews 1899
 †Prophaethon shrubsolei Andrews 1899
 Genus †Lithoptila Bourdon, Bouya & Iarochène 2005
 †Lithoptila abdounensis Bourdon, Bouya & Iarochène 2005
 Familia Phaethontidae Brandt 1840
 Genus †Proplegadis Harrison & Walker 1971
 †Proplegadis fisheri Harrison & Walker 1971
 Genus †Phaethusavis Bourdon, Amaghzaz & Bouya 2008
 †Phaethusavis pelagicus Bourdon, Amaghzaz & Bouya 2008
 Genus †Heliadornis Olson 1985
 †H. ashbyi Olson 1985
 †H. minor Kessler 2009
 †H. paratethydicus Mlíkovský 1997
 Genus Phaethon Linnaeus, 1758
 Phaethon aethereus (Atlanticus tropicus, Pacificus orientalis, et Oceanus Indicus)
 Phaethon rubricauda (Oceanus Indicus et Pacificus occidentalis et medius tropicus)
 Phaeton lepturus (late in aquis tropicis divulgatus, praeter Pacificum orientalem)

Phaethon aethereus est basalis intra genus. Fissura inter Phaethontem aethereum et alias duas Phaethontidas abhinc annorum sex milliones facta fuisse putatur, fissura inter Phaethontem rubricaudam et Phaethontem lepturum abhinc annorum quattuor milliones facta.

Phaethusavis et Heliadornis sunt genera praehistorica ex fossilibus Phaethontidarum descripta. Typus familiae est Phaethon aethereus.

Species exstantes

Notae

Bibliographia 
 Boland, C. R. J., M. C. Double, et G. B. Baker. 2004. "Assortative mating by tail streamer length in red-tailed tropicbirds Phaethon rubricauda breeding in the Coral Sea." Ibis 146 (4): 687–90. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2004.00310.x.
 del Hoyo Josep, et al., eds. 1992. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 1: Ostrich to Ducks. Barcinonae: Lynx Edicions. ISBN 84-87334-10-5.
 Fleet, Robert R. 1974. The red-tailed tropicbird on Kure Atoll. Vasingtoniae: American Ornithologists' Union.
 Nelson, Bryan.2005. Pelicans, Cormorants and their relatives. Oxoniae: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-857727-3.
 Spear, Larry B., et David G. Ainley. 2005. "At-sea behaviour and habitat use by tropicbirds in the eastern Pacific." Ibis 147 (2): 391–407. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919x.2005.00418.x. Editio interretialis.
 van Tuinen, Marcel, David Waterhouse, et Gareth J. Dyke. 2004. "Avian molecular systematics on the rebound: a fresh look at modern shorebird phylogenetic relationships." Journal of Avian Biology 35 (3): 191–94. doi:10.1111/j.0908-8857.2004.03362.x.

Nexus externi 

 Oiseaux.net. 2006. "Red-billed Tropicbird.".
 Patteson, Brian. Photographemata Phaethontidarum.
 Robertson, Don. De Phaethontidis agnoscendis.
 Pelliculae Phaethontidarum. Internet Bird Collection.

 
Aves marinae
Familiae animalium
Phaethon
Taxa Linnaei
Taxa 1758