Columbea

Columbea is a clade that contains Columbiformes (pigeons and doves), Pteroclididae (sandgrouses), Mesitornithidae (mesites) and Mirandornithes (flamingos and grebes), discovered by genome analysis. Until their recent placement as the sister taxon to Passerea, in the last decade various genetic analysis found them to be in (the almost obsolete) clade Metaves.