Eocathayornis

dawn Cathay bird

• eos · Greek · dawn
• Cathay · Medieval Latin (old European name for Ch · China
• ornis · Greek · bird

The name combines the Greek "eos" (dawn), "Cathay" (an old European name for China) and the Greek "ornis" (bird). It means "dawn Cathay bird", or roughly "dawn bird of China". It points to its early age and to its discovery in China. It is probably named in parallel with the later bird Cathayornis.

Named by

Zhou

Year named

1995

Period

Early Cretaceous

Found in

Liaoning Province, China

A small, early bird, usually placed among the enantiornithines. Birds are living avian dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the modern sense. The type species is Eocathayornis walkeri. The exact formation and stage are not given here because I am not certain of them. Its relationship to similar Chinese enantiornithines such as Cathayornis and Sinornis has been debated.