Confuciusornis

Confuciusornis
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125–120 Ma
↓
C. sanctus fossil preserving long wing and tail feathers, Natural History Museum, Vienna
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: Avialae
Family: †Confuciusornithidae
Genus: †Confuciusornis
Hou et al., 1995
Type species
†Confuciusornis sanctus
Hou et al., 1995
Other species
  • †C. dui
    Hou et al., 1999
  • †C. feducciai
    Zhang et al., 2009
  • †C. jianchangensis
    Li et al., 2010
  • †C. shifan
    Wang et al., 2022[1]
Synonyms
Genus synonymy
  • Jinzhouornis Hou et al. 2002
Species synonymy (C. sanctus)
  • C. suniae Hou, 1997
  • C. chuonzhous Hou 1997
  • Jinzhouornis yixianensis Hou et al., 2002
  • Jinzhouornis zhangjiyingia Hou et al., 2002

Confuciusornis is a genus of basal crow-sized avialan from the Early Cretaceous Period of the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations of China, dating from 125 to 120 million years ago. Like modern birds, Confuciusornis had a toothless beak, but closer and later relatives of modern birds such as Hesperornis and Ichthyornis were toothed, indicating that the loss of teeth occurred convergently in Confuciusornis and living birds. It was thought to be the oldest known bird to have a beak,[2] though this title now belongs to an earlier relative Eoconfuciusornis.[3] It was named after the Chinese moral philosopher Confucius (551–479 BC). Confuciusornis is one of the most abundant vertebrates found in the Yixian Formation, and several hundred complete specimens have been found.[4]

  1. ^ Wang R, Hu D, Zhang M, Wang S, Zhao Q, Sullivan C, Xu X (2022). "A new confuciusornithid bird with a secondary epiphyseal ossification reveals phylogenetic changes in confuciusornithid flight mode". Communications Biology. 5 (1). 1398. doi:10.1038/s42003-022-04316-6. PMC 9772404. PMID 36543908.
  2. ^ Ivanov, M., Hrdlickova, S. & Gregorova, R. (2001) The Complete Encyclopedia of Fossils. Rebo Publishers, Netherlands. pp. 312
  3. ^ Xiaoting Zheng; Jingmai K. O'Connor; Xiaoli Wang; Yanhong Pan; Yan Wang; Min Wang; Zhonghe Zhou (2017). "Exceptional preservation of soft tissue in a new specimen of Eoconfuciusornis and its biological implications". National Science Review. 4 (3): 441–452. doi:10.1093/nsr/nwx004.
  4. ^ Xu, X.; Norell, M.A. (2006). "Non-Avian dinosaur fossils from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning, China". Geological Journal. 41 (3–4): 419–437. doi:10.1002/gj.1044. S2CID 32369205.