Feitianius fossil map
Where fossils of Feitianius 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 | O'Connor et al. 2016 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Xiagou |
About Feitianius
Feitianius is a bird genus, belonging to the Enantiornithes, that during the Early Cretaceous lived in the area of modern China. A single species has been named in the genus, Feitianius paradisi.
In 2005, fragmentary enantiornithean fossils were excavated near Changma, in Gansu. Two of the best preserved were reported in the scientific literature in 2009.
In 2015, the type species Feitianius paradisi was named and described by Jingmai Kathleen O’Connor, Li Daqing, Matthew C. Lamanna, Wang Min, Jerald D. Harris, Jessie Atterholt and You Hailou. The generic name has been derived from the feitian, a flying apsara or nymph from Buddhist mythology. Historical murals featuring such nymphs are common in the caves around Changma. The name was made masculine "for fun" because it was concluded that the type specimen was a male individual. The specific name means "from paradise" in Latin and refers to the similar sexual dimorphism in the tail feathers of birds-of-paradise. The species name as a whole thus means "feitian of paradise", the translation of the Chinese 飛天/飞天.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Feitianius (revision 1319092902), 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: Q54500314.
