A field guide to mesozoic birds and other winged dinosaurs

Elegant Golden Phoenix Feather Jinfengopteryx elegans
Time: 122 Ma ago Location: Hebei, China Habitat: Qiaotou Member, Huajiying Formation
Size: WS >35cm (1.1ft); BL 55cm (1.8ft); TL ~65cm (2.1ft) Features: Head triangualar
but rounded in profile. Wings small w/ large claws. Torso short. Legs long & lacking
feathers. Tail long, with feather frond extending to base. Rectrices up to ~10cm long at the
tail tip, much shorter near base. Internally, third wing digit reduced & fused. Biology:
Omnivorous or herbivorous, foraged on the ground for seeds, nuts, & possibly insects &
small vertebrates.
Henan Xixia Lizard Xixiasaurus henanensis
Time: Uncertain (Late Cretaceous) Location: Henan, China Habitat: Majiacun Formation
Size: WS unknown; BL ~1.2m (3.9ft); TL unknown Features: Snout long & rounded
with U-shaped jaws (as seen from below), slightly indented on the sides. Biology: The
solidly-constructed, box-shaped skull (as well as the large overall body size) may have
evolved to reduce stresses when feeding on larger prey items.
Soundly Sleeping Dragon Mei long
Time: 124.5 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Lower Yixian Formation, temperate
conifer and ginkgo forest set among a series of lakes fed by streams and runoff from
a nearby range of active volcanic mountains. Size: WS >30cm (11.8in); BL 45cm (1.5ft);
TL unknown Features: Head large & rounded w/ short, flattened snout. Teeth numerous,
small, unserrated, and closely-packed, filling much of the upper jaw extending to below
the eye. Wings relatively short. Legs very long, w/ long tarsus & relatively short femur. Tail
long & flexible. Internally, wishbone U-shaped as in oviraptorids. Biology: Known from
specimens found in roosting postures, probably sheltered against the volcanic ash which
buried them. Generally similar to the contemporary Sinovenator. Despite juvenile-like appearance
including large head/eyes & long legs, studies of bone histology show that these
specimens were mature (Gao & al. 2012).
Chang’s China Hunter Sinovenator changi
Time: 124.5 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Lower Yixian Formation (see
above) Size: WS unknown; BL 1.1m (3.6ft); TL unknown Features: Head triangular. Legs
long, wings small. Tail long & flexible, in some roosting specimens wrapped around the
body. Biology: Probably hunted small game in & around Yixian lake systems, but most
fossils have been found in non-lake ash deposits, suggesting a primarily inland, terrestrial
habitat. The similar Sinusonasus magnodens is probably a synonym (Turner & al. 2012).
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