The Enantiornithes, also known as enantiornithines or enantiornitheans, are a group of extinct avialans, the most abundant and diverse group known from the Mesozoic era. Almost all retained teeth and clawed fingers on each wing, but otherwise looked much like modern birds externally. Over eighty species of enantiornithes have been named, but some names represent only single bones, so it is likely that not all are valid. The Enantiornithes became extinct at the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary, along with hesperornithids and all other non-avian dinosaurs.
Yanornis is an extinct genus of fish-eating Early Cretaceous birds. Two species have been described, both from Liaoning province, China: Yanornis martini, based on several fossils found in the 120-million-year-old Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang, and Yanornis guozhangi, from the 124-million-year-old Yixian Formation.
Longipteryx is a genus of prehistoric bird which lived during the Early Cretaceous. It contains a single species, Longipteryx chaoyangensis. Its remains have been recovered from the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang in Liaoning Province, China. Apart from the holotype IVPP V 12325 - a fine and nearly complete skeleton — another entire skeleton and some isolated bones are known to date.
Hongshanornis is a genus of ornithuromorph birds known from early Cretaceous lake deposits of the Yixian Formation, Inner Mongolia, China. The holotype specimen, recovered in 2005, is currently held by the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. It was found in the Jianshangou fossil beds, dated to 124.6 million years ago. Three additional specimens have been reported, though only one of those has been definitively identified as belonging to Hongshanornis. This latter specimen was found in the Dawangzhangzi fossil beds, which are about 122 million years old.
Yixianornis is a bird genus from the early Cretaceous period. Its remains have been found in the Jiufotang Formation at Chaoyang 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.
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 estimates ranging from the Late Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. He et al. (2004) used argon - isotope radiometry to confirm biostratigraphic age estimates. They confirmed an Early Cretaceous, Aptian age for the Jiufotang Formation, 120.3 +/-0.7 million years ago. Fossils of Microraptor and Jeholornis are from the Jiufotang.
Shanweiniao is a genus of long-snouted enantiornithean birds from Early Cretaceous China. One species is known, Shanweiniao cooperorum. There is one known fossil, a slab and counterslab. The fossil is in the collection of the Dalian Natural History Museum, and has accession number DNHM D1878/1 and DNHM1878/2. It was collected from the Lower Cretaceous Dawangzhengzi Beds, middle Yixian Formation, from Lingyuan in the Liaoning Province, China.
The Yixian Formation is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans about 5 million years during the early Cretaceous period. It is known for its fossils, listed below.
Longicrusavis is an extinct genus of basal ornithuromorph bird found only at Dawangzhangzi village in Liaoning Province, China. Longicrusavis was a ground dwelling carvinore, a wader, and part of biological family Hongshanornithidae, considered to have been a dominant species in the Jehol Biota, the prehistoric Chinese ecosystem which supported them. The name Hongshanornithidae represents one of Chinas oldest recorded cultures in the region, the Hongshan culture.
Songlingornithidae is a family of early ornithuromorph birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 120 million years ago.
Yanornithiformes is an order of ornithuromorph birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 124.6 to 120 million years ago.
Longipterygidae is a family of early enantiornithean birds from the early Cretaceous Period of China. All known specimens come from the Jiufotang Formation and Yixian Formation, dating to the early Aptian age, 125-120 million years ago.
Parahongshanornis is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous of what is now Liaoning Province, north-eastern China.
Euornithes is a natural group which includes the most recent common ancestor of all avialans closer to modern birds than to Sinornis.
Schizooura is a genus of basal ornithuromorph bird known from the Early Cretaceous of Jianchang, western Liaoning, China. Its remains were discovered in Jiufotang Formation deposits, dated to 120 million years ago.
Piscivoravis is an extinct genus of fish-eating ornithuromorphs known from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning Province, northeastern China. Piscivoravis was first named by Shuang Zhou, Zhonghe Zhou and Jingmai O'Connor in 2013 and the type species is Piscivoravis lii. Phylogenetic analysis places Piscivoravis in a more derived position than Archaeorhynchus, in a polytomy with Jianchangornis, Patagopteryx, and the clade including all more derived ornithuromorphs.
Pengornithidae is a group of early enantiornithines from the early Cretaceous Period of China, with the putative member Falcatakely possibly extending this clade's range into the Late Cretaceous of Madagascar, and several putative pengornithids also hail from this formation. Specimens of these animals have been found both in the Huajiying Formation and Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning and Hebei provinces, dating from the Hauterivian age to the Aptian age.
Dingavis is an extinct genus of ornithuromorph bird from the Early Cretaceous of present-day China. It contains a single species, D. longimaxilla.
Eogranivora is a bird genus, belonging to the Ornithuromorpha, that lived in the area of present-day China during the Early Cretaceous. Its type species is Eogranivora edentulata.
