Sanshuiornis fossil map
Where fossils of Sanshuiornis have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 45 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 45 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 | Prehistoric birds |
|---|---|
| Lived | 48.07–37.71 million years ago (Lutetian to Bartonian) |
| Periods | Paleogene |
| Named by | Wang et al. 2012 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Huayong |
About Sanshuiornis
Sanshuiornis (meaning "bird from Sanshui Basin") is an extinct genus of bird from Middle Eocene deposits of Guangdong Province, south China. It is known from the holotype IVPP V18116 an articulated complete right leg and foot. It was found from the black oil shales of the Huayong Formation of the Sanshui Basin, near Foshan. It was first named by Min Wang, Gerald Mayr, Jiangyong Zhang and Zhonghe Zhou in 2011 and the type species is Sanshuiornis zhangi. Sanshuiornis shows resemblances to some Ciconiiformes birds.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Sanshuiornis (revision 1193070015), 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: Q7418999.
