Alataliformes

Alataliformes is a taxonomic term that has appeared in some ornithological classifications as the name of an order of birds. The term is not widely used in current systematic checklists and has no single, universally accepted definition. Across the literature, Alataliformes has referred to different assemblages of birds depending on the author, and its composition has varied accordingly. In many cases, the name has been invoked in historical contexts to group certain lineages that molecular analyses later placed in separate orders; as a result the concept is considered obsolete or rejected by modern consensus.

Taxonomic status of Alataliformes has been unstable. Because its circumscription has shifted or collapsed in light of new data, there is no agreed diagnostic set of characters that defines the group. Contemporary authorities and major databases generally do not recognize Alataliformes as a valid or monophyletic order. Instead, taxa once associated with the term are typically placed within other, better-supported orders based on genetic and morphological evidence.

In discussions of avian phylogeny, Alataliformes is usually described as a historical or hypothetical grouping rather than a presently accepted taxon. As such, it serves more as an example of how avian classification has changed with advances in molecular data than as a stable reference for contemporary taxonomy. For current classifications, researchers rely on widely accepted orders and clades established by comprehensive phylogenetic studies.