Liaoningornis
Liaoningornis was a tiny bird that lived during the Early Cretaceous in what is now China. It was about the size of a sparrow and could fly and perch in trees. This little bird was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat like insects or small animals.14
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Fun facts
Liaoningornis had a deeply keeled breastbone, which helped it fly strongly.1
Its feet had highly curved claws, perfect for gripping branches and perching.1
The only known fossil is a partial skeleton, including both feet, a leg, and part of the breastbone.1
Scientists once thought Liaoningornis was a very early type of modern bird, but now they think it was an enantiornithean, a group of ancient birds that went extinct with the dinosaurs.1
Liaoningornis lived around 125 to 119 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.2
Its name means 'bird of Liaoning', after the province in China where it was found.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Liaoningornis
- Named by
- Hou 19974
- Group
- Early birds
- Family / clade
- Ornithuromorpha4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Avialae4
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)4
- Rock formations
- Yixian4
- Countries
- China4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Liaoningornis was named by Chinese paleontologist Linhai Hou in 1996 and 1997, based on a partial skeleton found near Beipiao in Liaoning, China.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Liaoningornis belongs to the Enantiornithes group or the Ornithuromorpha group of ancient birds.14
Where the facts come from
- Liaoningornis (en.wikipedia.org)
- paleobiodb.org (paleobiodb.org)
- PaleoCodex :: Liaoningornis (paleocodex.com)
- Liaoningornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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