| Hongshanornithids Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 124.6–120 Ma |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| clade: | Ornithurae |
| Family: | †Hongshanornithidae O'Connor, Gao & Chiappe, 2010 |
| Type species | |
| Hongshanornis longicresta Zhou & Zhang, 2005 |
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| Genera | |
Hongshanornithidae is an extinct family of basal ornithuromorph birds from the Early Cretaceous of China. The family includes the genera Hongshanornis (the type genus) and Longicrusavis, from the Yixian Formation, in Inner Mongolia and Liaoning Province, respectively, and possibly Parahongshanornis from the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province (though the position of the later has not been tested by any published phylogenetic analysis).[1][2][3] It is defined as a node-based clade including the last common ancestor of Hongshanornis longicresta and Longicrusavis houi plus all its descendants.[2]
Hongshanornithids were small, approximately the size of modern phoebes. Their legs are proportionally long in comparison to the wings, suggesting that they were aquatic wading birds. They most likely lacked beaks and had teeth in their jaws.[2]