Omnivoropterygidae

Omnivoropterygids Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma PreЄ Є O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Fossil specimen of Sapeornis chaoyangensis, Hong Kong Science Museum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	†Omnivoropterygiformes Czerkas & Ji, 2002
Family:	†Omnivoropterygidae Czerkas & Ji, 2002
Type species
Omnivoropteryx sinousaorum Czerkas & Ji, 2002
Genera
Omnivoropteryx Sapeornis Shenshiornis
Synonyms
Sapeornithidae Zhou & Zhang, 2006

Omnivoropterygidae (meaning "omnivorous wings") is a family of primitive birds known exclusively from the Jiufotang Formation of China. They had short skeletal tails and unusual skulls with teeth in the upper, but not lower, jaws. Their unique dentition has led some scientists to suggest an omnivorous diet for them.^[1] The family was named by Stephen A. Czerkas & Qiang Ji in 2002, though its junior synonym Sapeornithidae is often used instead, though it was named four years later in 2006.^[2] It is the only named family in the order Omnivoropterygiformes (=Sapeornithiformes).

References

1. ^ Czerkas, S. A. & Ji, Q. (2002). "A preliminary report on an omnivorous volant bird from northeast China." In: Czerkas, S. J. (editor): Feathered Dinosaurs and the origin of flight. The Dinosaur Museum Journal 1: 127-135. HTML abstract
2. ^ Hu, D., Li, L., Hou, L., and Xu, X. (2010). "A new sapeornithid bird from China and its implication for early avian evolution." Acta Geologica Sinica, (English Edition) 84(3): 472-482. doi:10.1111/j.1755-6724.2010.00188.x