Hongshanornithidae
Encyclopedia
Hongshanornithidae is an extinct family
of basal
ornithuromorph bird
s from the Early Cretaceous
of China
. The family includes the genera
Hongshanornis
(the type genus
) and Longicrusavis
, from the Yixian Formation
, in Inner Mongolia
and Liaoning Province, respectively, and possibly Parahongshanornis
from the Jiufotang Formation
of Liaoning Province (though the position of the later has not been tested by any published phylogenetic analysis). It is defined as a node-based clade including the last common ancestor of Hongshanornis longicresta and Longicrusavis houi plus all its descendants.
Hongshanornithids were small, approximately the size of modern phoebes
. Their legs are proportionally long in comparison to the wings, suggesting that they were aquatic wading birds. They most likely lacked beaks and had teeth in their jaws.
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
of basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
ornithuromorph bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s from the Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous
The Early Cretaceous or the Lower Cretaceous , is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The family includes the genera
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Hongshanornis
Hongshanornis
Hongshanornis is a genus of ornithurine bird known from the early Cretaceous lake deposits of the Yixian Formation, Inner Mongolia, China. The only known specimen was recovered in 2005. It was likely a strong flier and due to its long legs, Hongshanornis appears to have been a wader, feeding in...
(the type genus
Type genus
In biological classification, a type genus is a representative genus, as with regard to a biological family. The term and concept is used much more often and much more formally in zoology than it is in botany, and the definition is dependent on the nomenclatural Code that applies:* In zoological...
) and Longicrusavis
Longicrusavis
Longicrusavis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph bird within the family Hongshanornithidae. Remains have been found from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, China.-Description:...
, from the Yixian Formation
Yixian Formation
The Yixian Formation is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans 11 million years during the early Cretaceous period...
, in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
and Liaoning Province, respectively, and possibly Parahongshanornis
Parahongshanornis
Parahongshanornis is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous of what is now Liaoning Province, north-eastern China....
from the Jiufotang Formation
Jiufotang Formation
The Jiufotang Formation is an Early Cretaceous geological formation in Chaoyang, Liaoning which has yielded fossils of feathered dinosaurs, primitive birds, pterosaurs, and other organisms. . It is a member of the Jehol group. The exact age of the Jiufotang has been debated for years, with...
of Liaoning Province (though the position of the later has not been tested by any published phylogenetic analysis). It is defined as a node-based clade including the last common ancestor of Hongshanornis longicresta and Longicrusavis houi plus all its descendants.
Hongshanornithids were small, approximately the size of modern phoebes
Phoebe (bird)
The genus Sayornis is a small group of medium-sized insect-eating birds in the Tyrant flycatcher family Tyrranidae native to North and South America....
. Their legs are proportionally long in comparison to the wings, suggesting that they were aquatic wading birds. They most likely lacked beaks and had teeth in their jaws.