Home Previous Random Next Search
HONGSHANORNIS
(hong-shan-or-niss)
meaning: "Hongshan bird"
Hongshanornis
Named By: Z. Zhou & F. Zhang in 1998
Time Period: Early Cretaceous, 124.6-122 Ma
Location: China - Yixian Formation
Size: Wingspan roughly about 32 centimetres
Diet: Uncertain, but possibly a generalist
Fossil(s): Several individuals, some complete
Classification: | Chordata | Aves | Yanornithiformes | Hongshanornithidae |
About

Hongshanornis is a genus of ornithuromorph birds known from early Cretaceous lake deposits of the Yixian Formation, Inner Mongolia, China. The holotype specimen, recovered in 2005, is currently held by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. It was found in the Jianshangou fossil beds, dated to 124.6 million years ago. Three additional specimens have been reported, though only one of those has been definitively identified as belonging to Hongshanornis. This latter specimen was found in the Dawangzhangzi fossil beds, which are about 122 million years old.

Hongshanornis is a member of the group Hongshanornithidae, to which it lent its name. It is closely related to Longicrusavis, which existed alongside Hongshanornis in the Dawangzhangzi ecosystem, and is very similar to the later Parahongshanornis from the Jiufotang Formation.

Read more about Hongshanornis at Wikipedia
PaleoCodex is a weekend hack by Saurav Mohapatra