Yuanjiawaornis fossil map
Where fossils of Yuanjiawaornis 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. 2015 |
| Fossil records | 1 occurrences at 1 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | China |
| Rock formations | Jiufotang |
About Yuanjiawaornis
Yuanjiawaornis is an extinct genus of large enantiornithean bird known from the early Cretaceous of present-day China. It is monotypic, with only type species Y. virisosus named.
Excavated in 2005 by a museum team in the famous fossil-bearing layers of Liaoning, it was named in 2015. Apart from its size, the build of Yuanjiawaornis is not exceptional. The exact relationships of the bird are uncertain, largely because the skull has not been found. Also the plumage is absent from the fossil.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Yuanjiawaornis (revision 1372855987), 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: Q57263057.
