Xiangornis

"Xiang bird" (the meaning of "Xiang" is uncertain)

• Xiang · Chinese · uncertain, not verified
• ornis · Greek · bird

The second half of the name comes from the Greek "ornis", meaning "bird". The first part, "Xiang", is a Chinese-derived element, but I am not certain what it honours or refers to. The name marks this animal as an early bird from China.

Period

Early Cretaceous

Found in

Jiufotang Formation, Liaoning Province, China

Xiangornis is a basal (early-diverging) bird. Birds are living dinosaurs, so it counts as a dinosaur in the cladistic sense. The type species is Xiangornis shenmi. Several details (author, year, stage, and the origin of "Xiang") could not be verified, so they are left blank.