Eocathayornis fossil map
Where fossils of Eocathayornis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 115 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 115 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 121.4–113.2 million years ago (Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Zhou 2002 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Jiufotang |
About Eocathayornis
Eocathayornis is a genus of enantiornithean birds that was probably more basal or "primitive" than related genera Sinornis and Cathayornis. These birds lived during the Early Cretaceous in today's People's Republic of China.
The holotype IVPP 10916 was in 1994 found in the Boluochi quarry by Zhou Zhonghe in a layer of the Jiufotang Formation dating from the late Aptian. It consists of the skull and the top half of the postcranial skeleton on a plate and counterplate. The bones have only been preserved as impressions. In 2002, Zhou named and described the type species Eocathayornis walkeri. The generic name combines a Greek ἠώς, eos, "dawn", with Cathayornis, referring to the more basal build compared to the latter genus. The specific name honours Cyril Alexander Walker for his contributions to the study of the Enantiornithes.
Zhou in 2002 placed Eocathayornis in the Cathayornithidae.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Eocathayornis (revision 1282410374), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q5381606.
