TheropodaEnantiornithines

Cathayornis yandica

Cathayornis yandica skeletal reconstruction, left lateral view, reconstructed length ~0.15 m.
Scale bar = 5 centimeters
Taxon
Cathayornis yandica Zhou et al., 1992
Reconstructed length
15 cm (6 inches)
View
Left lateral
Drawing
© Scott Hartman
Drawn
2015, revised 2022
Clade
  1. Theropoda
  2. Tetanurae
  3. Coelurosauria
  4. Maniraptoriformes
  5. Maniraptora
  6. Paraves
  7. Avialae
  8. Pygostylia
  9. Enantiornithines

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A small enantiornithine, one of the extinct “opposite birds” from the Early Cretaceous of eastern China. Sparrow-sized and capable of some degree of powered flight, it retained clawed fingers, belly ribs (gastralia) and toothed jaws, unlike modern birds.