Torotix was first described by Brodkorb in 1963, who initially suggested that it was related to modern
flamingos, in the order
Phoenicopteriformes. Later researchers thought it was more likely to have been related to the
Charadriiformes (waders/shorebirds). More recent comparative studies have found it to be most similar to
Pelecaniformes. A
cladistic study of the wing bone found
Torotix not to resemble that of the
waved albatross (a procellariiform),
northern gannet (of the
order Suliformes),
painted buttonquail (an ancient charadriiform),
black-necked stilt (a more advanced charadriiform) or a
Phoenicopterus flamingo noticeably more than any other. However, this comparison provided information only about ecological rather than
phylogenetic similarities. The
family Torotigidae was initially established to unite this genus with
Parascaniornis and
Gallornis. However, the former is now considered a
junior synonym of
Baptornis (a
hesperornithine), while the latter may be a very early
fowl of the group
Galloanserae. ==Footnotes==