Position in a system
| system | Vitae - living organisms |
| domain | Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis, 1978 - lifeforms with nucletic cells |
| superregnum | Unikonta |
| system | Opisthokonta Cavalier-Smith, 1987 |
| kingdom | Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - animals |
| subregnum | Eumetazoa Butschli, 1910 |
| divisio | Bilateria Hatschek, 1888 - bilaterians |
| subdivisio | Deuterostomia - deuterostomes |
| phylum | Chordata Bateson, 1885 - chordates |
| subphylum | Vertebrata Cuvier, 1812 - vertebrates |
| infraphylum | Gnathostomata Zittel, 1879 - jawed vertebrates |
| superclassis | Tetrapoda Gaffney, 1979 - four-limbed vertebrates |
| class | Aves Linnaeus, 1758 - birds |
| subclass | Ornithurae Haeckel, 1866 |
| infraclass | Neornithes Haeckel, 1866 |
| superorder | Neognathae Pygraft, 1900 - flying birds |
| order | Phaethontiformes Sharpe, 1891 - tropicbird |
| family | Phaethontidae Brandt, 1840 - tropicbirds |
Other sources
Phaethontidae belongs to Phaethontiformes Gill F., Donsker D. & Rasmussen P. (eds): IOC World Bird List [http://www.worldbirdnames.org/]Data retrieved on: 3 December 2021