Yixianornis

Taxobox
name = "Yixianornis"
fossil_range = Early Cretaceous (Aptian?)

---

image_width = 200px
image_caption = Fossil specimen of "Yixianornis grabaui" on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China.
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
subclassis = Ornithurae
ordo = Yanornithiformes
familia = Songlingornithidae
genus = "Yixianornis"
genus_authority =
species = "Y. grabaui"
binomial = "Yixianornis grabaui"
binomial_authority =

"Yixianornis" (meaning bird of the Yixian Formation) is a bird genus from the Early Cretaceous. Its remains have been found in the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang (PRC) which is probably of early Aptian age, around 125-120 million years ago.Verify source|date=November 2007 Only one species, "Yixianornis grabaui", is known at present. The species name, Grabau, is named after American Paleontologist Amadeus William Grabau, who surveyed China in the early 20th Century.

It was a close relative of "Yanornis" and together with this and "Songlingornis" forms a clade of early modern birds. This clade contains the most primitive birds that display an essentially modern pygostyle and fan of tail feathers. Clarke, Julia A., Zhou, Zhonghe, Zhang, Fucheng. (2006) "Insight into the evolution of avian flight from a new clade of Early Cretaceous ornithurines from China and the morphology of "Yixianornis grabaui" "Journal of Anatomy" 208:287-308.]

ee also

* "Jixiangornis orientalis", a very primitive bird (or bird-like dinosaur)
*"Ornithurae"

Footnotes

References

* (2006): Insight into the evolution of avian flight from a new clade of Early Cretaceous ornithurines from China and the morphology of "Yixianornis grabaui". "Journal of Anatomy" 208 (3):287-308. DOI|10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00534.x [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00534.x PDF fulltext] [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/suppl/10.1111/j.1469-7580.2006.00534.x/suppl_file/JOA534_a3.xls Electronic Appendix]
* (2004): The Theropod Database: [http://home.comcast.net/~eoraptor/Phylogeny%20of%20Taxa.html Phylogeny of taxa] . Retrieved 2008-AUG-14.