Yanornis

Yan bird

• Yan · Chinese · the ancient Yan region of northeastern China
• ornis · Greek · bird

Yanornis combines "Yan", a reference to the ancient Yan region of northeastern China where the fossils were found, with the Greek word for "bird". The name therefore means "Yan bird". It refers to this early, toothed bird from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning Province.

Named by

Zhou and Zhang

Year named

2001

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Aptian

Found in

Jiufotang Formation, Liaoning Province, China

Yanornis is an early toothed bird (an avialan), so it is a dinosaur in the cladistic sense, but it is not a non-avian dinosaur. The type species is Yanornis martini. The Yan etymology and the exact age and formation are given from memory, so treat them with some caution. Some authors have also placed related specimens in the genus Yanornis, and its relationship to Yixianornis and Songlingornis is debated.