Abstract
Aim Range disjunctions are frequent in birds, but the relative roles of vicariance and long‐distance dispersal in producing them are debated. Odontophorid quail are widespread in tropical and temperate habitats in the Americas, yet recent phylogenetic studies support the view that they are sister to sub‐Saharan African Ptilopachus rather than the widespread Phasianidae as formerly believed. To understand how this 10,000 km range disjunction arose in relatively non‐vagile birds, we reconstructed colonization history and diversification of odontophorids with respect to hypothesized dry‐land connections between continents (North Atlantic, Beringian, Panamanian) that would have facilitated faunal exchange. Location Africa, Nearctic and Neotropics. Methods We inferred a fossil‐calibrated odontophorid phylogeny from DNA sequences (three mitochondrial genes and eight nuclear introns) and modelled ancestral ranges with six probabilistic biogeographical models. We used the Akaike information criterion ( AIC ) to select the best‐fit biogeographical model. Results Ptilopachus and New World quail shared an Old World ancestor c . 32 Ma. During this period, Beringia connected the Nearctic and Palaearctic, and global temperatures were high, such that presence of temperate organisms at high latitudes and direct dispersal across land connections were feasible. The extant New World quail began diversifying in Central America c . 18 Ma; timing estimates and ancestral range reconstructions support the hypothesis that New World quail colonized and diversified in South America following closure of the Isthmus of Panama. Main conclusions The Africa/New World range disjunction between New World quail and Ptilopachus is the result of changes in Earth and climate history, combined with range expansion and diversification in the New World, and range contraction in the Old World. We find no evidence for overwater dispersal in New World quail.