Gracilornis fossil map
Where fossils of Gracilornis 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 |
| Family | Cathayornithidae |
| Named by | Li and Hou 2011 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Jiufotang |
About Gracilornis
Gracilornis is an extinct genus of early bird from the lower Cretaceous (Aptian stage). It is a cathayornithid enantiornithine which lived in what is now western Liaoning Province, China. It is known from a nearly complete skull and postcranial skeleton, which was found from the Jiufotang Formation, in Chaoyang. It was first named by Li Li and Hou Shilin in 2011 and the type species is Gracilornis jiufotangensis. The generic name is derived from Latin gracilis, "slender" and Greek ornis, "bird", and refers to its slender skeleton. The specific name was named after the Jiufotang Formation, in which the holotype was collected.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Gracilornis (revision 1282410410), 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: Q2486127.
