Elektorornis

amber bird

• elektor- · Greek · amber (related to elektron)
• ornis · Greek · bird

The name combines a Greek word related to amber with the Greek word for bird, giving "amber bird". It refers to the fact that the only known specimen, a partial foot and lower leg, was preserved in Burmese amber. The species Elektorornis chenguangi is known for its very elongated third toe.

Named by

Xing et al.

Year named

2018

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Cenomanian

Found in

Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, Myanmar (Burmese amber)

An enantiornithine bird, a group of early avian dinosaurs. Birds are living dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the cladistic sense, though it is not a "non-avian" dinosaur. It is known from a single specimen, a hindlimb preserved in amber. The exact Greek root of "elektor-" is given from memory and is not fully verified.