2026-02-252026-02-252026CERQUEIRA, Pedro Henrique et al. Phylogenetic analysis of the Blue-eyed Ground Dove (Columbina cyanopis) based on mitochondrial DNA sequences: revalidating the genus Oxypelia. Journal of Ornithology, Berlin, v. 167, p. 223-236, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s10336-025-02302-3. Disponível em: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-025-02302-3. Acesso em: 29 jan. 2026.e- 2193-72062193-7192https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10336-025-02302-3The critically endangered Blue-eyed Ground Dove (Columbina cyanopis) represents one of the world’s most enigmatic and threatened bird species. Endemic to Cerrado, the central Brazilian savannas, the species underwent 74 years without documented records, being considered possibly extinct, until its rediscovery in 2015, in central eastern Brazil, where the total known wild population (< 20 individuals) is currently protected by a state park. C. cyanopis is involved in historic taxonomic debate, being previously regarded as a monotypic genus (Oxypelia Salvadori, 1893), presumably more closely related to Paraclaravis and Claravis than Columbina. However, C. cyanopis remains the only species in the Claravinae subfamily lacking DNA sequencing, and thus not addressed phylogenetically. In this work, we sequenced three mitochondrial genes for C. cyanopis, recovered Bayesian phylogenetic trees, and estimated divergence times for all Claravinae species. Aiming to further investigate the clade’s evolutionary history, we also reconstructed ancestral states for three taxonomically key Claravinae characters. Results recovered C. cyanopis as a sister clade to Paraclaravis, from which it diverged ~ 10 mya. Morphological and ecological data, including new C. cyanopis morphometric measurements, support the inferred phylogenetic relationships, and thus a taxonomic rearrangement is proposed for the revalidation of the monotypic genus Oxypelia Salvadori, 1893. The newly described Oxypelia/Paraclaravis lineage comprises a notoriously rare, endangered, and ecologically specialized Columbiformes clade. Thus, our study assigns further relevance to the conservation of Oxypelia cyanopis by demonstrating that it consists of an ancient and monospecific lineage, representative of the shared evolutionary history within its ecologically unique clade.engAcesso RestritoArtigo10.1007/s10336-025-02302-3