Shanweiniao
| Shanweiniao | |
|---|---|
| |
| Life restoration | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Family: | †Longipterygidae |
| Genus: | †Shanweiniao O'Connor et al., 2009 |
| Species: | †S. cooperorum
|
| Binomial name | |
| †Shanweiniao cooperorum O'Connor et al., 2009
| |
Shanweiniao is a
Liaoning Province
, China.
O'Connor et al. (2010) found that Shanweiniao is a close relative of Longipteryx, Longirostravis, and Rapaxavis,[1] which together form a clade of long-beaked enantiornithean birds, the Longipterygidae.
The genus name Shanweiniao (
ornithuran, has been reported with this fan-shaped tail feather morphology.[2]
In a subsequent publication O'Connor et al. (2016) stated that interpretations of the tail morphology of this species are speculative due to incomplete preservation of the feathers of the
Ornithuromorpha) had relatively more delicate pygostyles. O'Connor et al. (2016) also reported presence of narrow spaces visible between some of the tail feathers of the holotype specimen of Shanweiniao cooperorum. The authors considered it more likely that Shanweiniao had rachis-dominated tail feathers similar to feathers present in Paraprotopteryx.[3]
The specific name, cooperorum, is after Carl and Lynn Cooper who donated funds to support the study of Mesozoic birds in China.[2]
Though originally interpreted as an arboreal bird, it appears to have been terrestrial in habits, ranking with taxa like megapodes and larks.[4]
