Rheidae

Rheids Temporal range: Paleocene–Holocene
Greater rhea, Rhea americana
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Infraclass:	Palaeognathae
Clade:	Notopalaeognathae
Order:	Rheiformes
Family:	Rheidae Bonaparte, 1853
Type species
Rhea americana Linnaeus, 1758
Genus
†Heterorhea Rovereto 1914 †Hinasuri Tambussi 1995 Rhea Brisson 1760
Synonyms
Rheinae Bonaparte 1849

Rheidae is a family of flightless ratite birds which first appeared in the Paleocene. It is today represented by the sole living genus Rhea, but also contains several extinct genera.

Taxonomy

Order Rheiformes (Forbes, 1884) Furbringer, 1888 [Rheimorphae Bonaparte, 1849; Rheae Forbes 1884]

• Family †Opisthodactylidae Ameghino 1895
  • Genus ?†Diogenornis de Alvarenga 1983 (Late Paleocene) – possibly a member of Casuariiformes instead.
  • Genus †Opisthodactylus Ameghino 1895 (Miocene) – rheid?
• Family Rheidae (Bonaparte 1849) Bonaparte, 1853
  • Genus †Heterorhea Rovereto 1914 (Pliocene)
  • Genus †Hinasuri Tambussi 1995
  • Genus Rhea Brisson 1760