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Hou’s Peng Bird Pengornis houi<br />
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)<br />
Size: WS ~50cm (1.6ft); BL 25cm (10in); TL unknown Features: Head triangular. Teeth<br />
small & short, numerous & blunt. Wings short & broad w/ a strong alular claw. Biology:<br />
Small, blunt, “onion shaped” teeth only weakly curved & with signs of wear, suggesting a<br />
diet of arthropods, mollusks, & <strong>other</strong> shelled invertebrates. Probably employed continuous<br />
flapping flight.<br />
Six-<strong>to</strong>othed Large-snout Bird Largirostrisornis sexden<strong>to</strong>ris<br />
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)<br />
Size: WS >25cm (10in); BL 15cm (6in); TL unknown Features: Head small w/ relatively<br />
long & thin snout w/ six pairs of small, curved teeth in both the upper jaw & lower jaws.<br />
Body notably large & long compared w/ <strong>other</strong> enantiornitheans. Wings broad & rounded<br />
w/ short primary feathers. Legs short w/ large, strong perching claws. Biology: The breastbones<br />
of these <strong>birds</strong> supported a short but strong keel, & the h<strong>and</strong> bones were fused <strong>to</strong> a<br />
degree seen in some modern perching <strong>birds</strong>, suggesting they were capable fliers. The wings<br />
retained claws, however, suggesting that climbing among branches was still part of their<br />
ecology.<br />
Y<strong>and</strong>ica Cathay Bird Cathayornis y<strong>and</strong>ica<br />
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)<br />
Size: WS ~20cm (8in); BL 13cm (5in); TL unknown Features: Snout long, broad & slightly<br />
flattened at the tip. Head triangular in profile. At least four teeth in the upper jaw & three<br />
in the lower, possibly more. Wing short & rounded w/ short primary feathers. Alular digit<br />
straight w/ small claw. Small claw also present on the major digit. Legs long, w/ long tarsus<br />
& weakly curved claws. Biology: The head & teeth were rather primitive, similar <strong>to</strong> basal<br />
avialans like Archaeopteryx lithographica, <strong>and</strong> so these probably had a similar diet (likely<br />
insects & small vertebrates). The small wing claws, long legs & <strong>to</strong>es, & weakly curved claws<br />
may suggest a reduced role in climbing <strong>and</strong> perching, & while they were still undoubtedly<br />
arboreal (Bell & Chiappe 2010), they may have been more prone <strong>to</strong> ground foraging than<br />
<strong>other</strong> enantiornitheans. The broad, somewhat flattened snout tip may indicate that they<br />
preferred <strong>to</strong> dabble at lake or river shores.<br />
Unusual Cathay Bird Cathayornis aberransis<br />
Time: 120 Ma ago Location: Liaoning, China Habitat: Jiufotang Formation (see above)<br />
Size: WS ~20cm (8in); BL 13cm (5in); TL unknown Features: Similar in most respects<br />
<strong>to</strong> C. y<strong>and</strong>ica, & may differ only in very minor skeletal characteristics, if at all. May have<br />
had more teeth than C. y<strong>and</strong>ica. Biology: Initially thought <strong>to</strong> have a small crest along the<br />
mid-line of the skull (possibly supporting a soft-tissue cockscomb or <strong>other</strong> structure in<br />
life), this interpretation was later found <strong>to</strong> be in error (O’Connor & Dyke 2010). However,<br />
such structures do not always correlate with the underlying bone, so a soft-tissue crest is<br />
retained here as a link <strong>to</strong> the his<strong>to</strong>rical interpretation & as a speculative distinguishing<br />
feature from C. y<strong>and</strong>ia.<br />
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