Grabauornis fossil map
Where fossils of Grabauornis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 130 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 130 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 | 125.77–119.57 million years ago (Barremian to Aptian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Dalsatt et al. 2014 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Yixian |
About Grabauornis
Grabauornis is an extinct genus of enantiornitheans from the Early Cretaceous of China.
The type species, Grabauornis lingyuanensis, was named and described in 2014 by Johan Dalsätt, Per Ericson and Zhou Zhonghe. The genus name combines a reference to Amadeus William Grabau with the Greek word ὄρνις, which means bird. The specific name refers to the place where it was found; the city of Lingyuan in the Lianoning province of China. Dalsät already referred to the descriptive article in 2012, before it was published, in his dissertation and the name Grabauornis was mentioned with it. However it was still an invalid nomen ex dissertatione. In addition, he explicitly stated that he did not want to perform naming acts, if they are not performed validly.
The fossil, holotype IVPP V14595, was found in a layer of the Yixian Formation which dates to the Aptian, at an age of 125 million years. The holotype consists of a well-preserved skeleton, compressed onto a single plate.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Grabauornis (revision 1300194687), 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: Q18087875.
