Xiangornis fossil map
Where fossils of Xiangornis 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 | Hu et al. 2012 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Jiufotang |
About Xiangornis
Xiangornis is an enantiornithean bird from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Western Liaoning, China.
In 2005, a bird fossil was discovered near Dapingfang in Chaoyang, in Western Liaoning.
The type species Xiangornis shenmi was in 2012 named and described by Hu Dongyu, Xu Xing, Hou Lianhai and Corwin Sullivan. The generic name is derived from Chinese xiáng, 翔, 'free flight', and Greek ὄρνις, ornis, "bird". The specific name is the Chinese shén mì, 神 秘, "mysterious", referring to the enigmatic combination of traits.
The holotype, PMOL-AB00245, had been found in the Jiufotang Formation dating from the Aptian, about 120 million years old. It consists of the left wing and adjacent parts of the shoulder girdle and the sternum.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Xiangornis (revision 1284284073), 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: Q2915003.
