Sunday, August 9, 2015

Primitive Birds

Here is a partial list of primitive (feathered, long-bony-tailed) flying and secondarily flightless birds.

Scansoriopterygids (Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 165–156 Ma)
Anchiornis (Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 161–160.5 Ma)
Aurornis (Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 160 Ma)
Xiaotingia (Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 160 Ma)
Zhongornis (Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 122 Ma)
Oviraptors (secondarily flightless)

Zhenyuanlong?
Archaeopteryx?
Microraptor?
Eosinopteryx? (Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 160 Ma)
Pedopenna? (Temporal range: Middle or Late Jurassic, 164 Ma)
Jeholornis?
Alvarezsaurids?
Ornithomimosaurs?
Velociraptor?
Jixiangornis?

The flying primitive (feathered, long-bony-tailed) birds evolved from pterosaurs.
The secondarily flightless primitive birds evolved from the flying primitive birds.