Feitianius

flying heavenly being

• Feitian · Chinese · flying heavenly being, 'flying to heaven'
• -ius · Latin · Latinised genus suffix

The name comes from the Chinese "feitian" (飞天), meaning "flying to heaven". It is the term for the flying celestial figures in Chinese Buddhist art. A Latinised "-ius" ending was added. The name suits an early flying bird from the Jehol Biota with a long, ornate tail.

Named by

O'Connor et al.

Year named

2016

Period

Early Cretaceous

Found in

Jiufotang Formation, Liaoning Province, China

Feitianius is an early ornithuromorph bird. Birds are avian dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the modern sense. The type species is Feitianius paradisi. Some details here, such as the authorship and exact stage, are given from memory and should be checked against the original description.