Songlingornis
SONG-ling-OR-nis /ˌsɒŋlɪŋˈɔːrnɪs/
Accepted genus
Songling bird
- Songling · Chinese · a place name in northeastern China, where the fossil was found
- ornis · Greek · bird
The name combines "Songling" with the Greek word for bird, ornis, so it means "Songling bird". The "Songling" part is a place name from the region of northeastern China where the fossil was found. The type species is Songlingornis linghensis.
- Named by
- Hou
- Year named
- 1997
- Period
- Early Cretaceous
- Found in
- Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China
Songlingornis is an early fossil bird (an ornithuromorph). Birds are living avian dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the cladistic sense. It is not a non-avian dinosaur. I'm not certain exactly which Songling locality or feature the name refers to.