A field guide to mesozoic birds and other winged dinosaurs

Thorn-nosed Dapingfang Bird Dapingfangornis sentisorhinus
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation, temperatesubtropical
swamps dominated by ginkgo and conifer trees, set among shallow lakes and
stagnant waterways. Size: WS 22cm (8.6in); BL 12cm (4.7in); TL 23cm (9in) Features:
Head large w/ short, thin snout, feathered to near the tip. Teeth sharp and recurved. Feet
w/ strong talons. Single pair of very long and thin wire-like rectrices tipped w/ broad vaned
plumes. Biology: Probably carnivorous, feeding on fish, lizards & other small vertebrates.
A supposed horn high on the snout may be an artifact of preservation, though it may
reflect a pair of actual, laterally-projecting lachrymal bones (Mortimer 2010). However,
these were shorter than the overlying feathers & probably would not have been visible in
life.
Chaoyang Long-wing Longipteryx chaoyangensis
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation. Temperatesubtropical
swamps dominated by ginkgo and conifer trees, set among shallow lakes and
stagnant waterways. Size: WS 34cm (1.1ft); BL 16cm (6in); TL ~18cm (7in) Features:
Snout very long w/ large, curved teeth restricted to the jaw tips. Wings large & broad (medial
primary 9cm) w/ large alular & major claws. Minor claw vestigial. Legs short. Stub-tail
lacked any long rectrices. Biology: Teeth large & conical but slightly flattened and curved;
this, combined with their presence only in the jaw tips, has led to the suggestion that these
were fishers. However, short leg and perching feet may indicate an arboreal, insectivorous
lifestyle instead. Broad wings and wishbone anatomy suggest that these birds may have
employed continuous flapping flight.
Zheng’s Boluochi Bird Boluochia zhengi
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)
Size: WS ~40cm (1.3ft); BL ~20cm (8in); TL unknown Features: Very similar to “C.” yangi,
also w/ a long, narrow snout and very large, strongly hooked teeth. Differed primarily in
smaller size & foot anatomy, where the outer toe diverged significantly from the others.
Biology: Possibly the same species as “C.” yangi. B. zhengi was initially reported to have a
hooked, raptorial beak, but this was a misinterpretation due to poor preservation and the
unusually large, hooked teeth.
Yang’s Bent-tooth “Camptodontus” yangi
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)
Size: WS ~50cm (1.6ft); BL 25cm (10in); TL unknown Features: Head long w/ very long
snout. Teeth extremely large & strongly curved w/ a distinctive bend at the tip, & restricted
to the jaw tips. Wings long w/ alular & major claws. Legs relatively short. Biology: Similar
in many respects to Longipteryx, but notable for the much larger teeth, which would have
protruded conspicuously from the slender jaws in life. Larger than Longipteryx, these may
also have fed on fish &/or arboreal prey, but possibly specializing in larger prey than L.
chaoyangensis. The genus name Camptodontus is preoccupied and will need to be replaced
if it is not a synonym of Boluochia.
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