Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

Author:      jaynes
Text:        Is a mallard lard more closely related to a grebe than it is to a 
Canada Goose?

Response #:  1 of 1
Author:      Jim Murray
Text:        I am not an ornithologist so my guess means little.  It seems to 
me that geese and ducks are more closely aligned than either are to grebes, 
but I do not know.  A good reference to check is "Phylogeny and Classification 
of Birds":  A Study in Molecular Evolution by CG Sibley and JE Ahlquist.  
There has been few works done on the systematics and phylogeny of birds.