Jinfengopteryx

golden phoenix wing

• Jinfeng · Chinese · golden phoenix
• pteryx · Greek · wing

The name combines the Chinese "Jinfeng", meaning "golden phoenix" (a legendary bird in Chinese tradition), with the Greek "pteryx", meaning "wing". It was chosen for this small, feathered dinosaur from northeastern China, whose fossils preserve plumage.

Named by

Ji et al.

Year named

2005

Period

Early Cretaceous

Found in

Qiaotou Formation, Hebei Province, China

The type species is Jinfengopteryx elegans. It was first described as a basal bird, but it is now generally regarded as a feathered troodontid theropod. Some researchers have suggested it may be closely related to or the same as Anchiornis or other troodontids, but it is usually treated as a distinct genus.