Potamornis

river bird

• potamos · Greek · river
• ornis · Greek · bird

The name combines the Greek words "potamos" (river) and "ornis" (bird), so it means "river bird". It refers to the bird's likely aquatic lifestyle. The remains came from sediments of the Lance Formation that were laid down in a freshwater setting.

Named by

Elzanowski, Paul and Stidham

Year named

2000

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Lance Formation, Wyoming, USA

Potamornis skutchi is a toothed, diving bird usually placed in the Hesperornithiformes. It is known from limited material. Birds are avian dinosaurs, but it is not a "classic" non-avian dinosaur. Its exact relationships are debated.