Yixianornis
"Yixian Formation bird"
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Yixianornis 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (120 Mya)
- Place
- China
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Hongshanornithidae
Yixianornis (meaning “Yixian Formation bird”) is a bird genus from the early Cretaceous period. Its remains have been found in the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang (People’s Republic of China) dated to the early Aptian age, around 120 million years ago. Only one species, Yixianornis grabaui, is known at present. The specific name, grabaui, is named after American paleontologist Amadeus William Grabau, who surveyed China in the early 20th century.
What we know
- Named by Zhou & Zhang, 2001.
- Fossils found in China.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Yixianornis — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.