Ornitholestes

bird robber

• ornithos · Greek · bird
• lestes · Greek · robber

The name means "bird robber" or "bird thief", from the Greek words for bird and robber. Henry Fairfield Osborn chose it because he imagined this small, lightly built theropod hunting early birds and other small prey. The idea was based on its grasping hands and presumed agility.

Named by

Osborn

Year named

1903

Period

Late Jurassic

Stages

Kimmeridgian – Tithonian

Found in

Morrison Formation, Wyoming, USA (Bone Cabin Quarry)

A small coelurosaurian theropod; the type species is Ornitholestes hermanni. The "bird-hunting" interpretation is speculative, and the original reconstruction showed a nasal crest that is now doubted. Exact stage range is approximate.