Neuquenornis
new-ken-OR-nis /njuːkɛnˈɔːrnɪs/
Accepted genus
Neuquén bird
- Neuquén · Place name (Neuquén Province, Argentina) · the province where the fossils were found
- ornis · Greek · bird
The name combines Neuquén, the Argentine province where the fossil was found, with the Greek "ornis", meaning bird. It literally means "Neuquén bird" and honours the place of discovery. The type species is Neuquenornis volans.
- Named by
- Chiappe and Calvo
- Year named
- 1994
- Period
- Late Cretaceous
- Stage
- Santonian
- Found in
- Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Neuquén Province, Argentina
An enantiornithine bird, a group of early birds that went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. Birds are living dinosaurs, so it counts as an avian dinosaur.