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Archaeorhynchus

Say it: ar-kee-oh-RINK-us

Name means: “ancient snout”1

Ate: PlantsEarly birdsEarly Cretaceous

Archaeorhynchus was an early bird that lived in China during the time of the dinosaurs. It had a beak instead of teeth, and it swallowed lots of small stones to help grind up its food in its stomach.2 1

Lived

126 to 113 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Liaoning Province, China2 1

Food

Plants2 1

Length

0.2 m1

Weight

0.275 kg1

Height

0.155 m1

hip height

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

hip height

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 2.5 bananas

lighter than a house cat

How big was Archaeorhynchus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Archaeorhynchus is one of the earliest known birds with a beak instead of teeth.2 1

All known fossils of Archaeorhynchus have more than three dozen gizzard stones in their stomach area.2 1

It lived about 125 to 120 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous period.1 3

The first fossil was found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China, and was reported in 2005.1

Archaeorhynchus had a long, flat beak that was not pointed, so it probably did not eat fish or insects.2

It had strong wings and an alula, which is a small feather that helps with flight control, similar to modern birds.2

The name Archaeorhynchus comes from Greek words meaning 'ancient snout'.1

AI-made picture of Archaeorhynchus — An AI-made picture of how Archaeorhynchus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Archaeorhynchus

?How big was Archaeorhynchus?

About 20 centimetres (7.9 inches) long and weighed around 275 grams (9.7 ounces). That is about the size of a small modern bird like a blackbird.1

?Did Archaeorhynchus have feathers?

Yes. Fossils show feathers preserved on the neck, head, wings and tail, just like modern birds.1

?What did Archaeorhynchus eat?

It probably ate plants. Scientists think this because all known fossils have lots of gizzard stones in their stomach, which were used to grind up tough plant food.1 2

?Could Archaeorhynchus fly?

Yes. It had strong wings and a special feather called an alula that helped with flight control, similar to many modern birds.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Archaeorhynchus
Named by: Zhou and Zhang 20064
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Ornithuromorpha4
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae4
Age of the rocks: 126 to 113 million years (Barremian / Aptian)4
Rock formations: Yixian, Jiufotang4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Archaeorhynchus was named by Chinese paleontologists Zhonghe Zhou and Fucheng Zhang in 2006. The first fossil was found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China, and was a nearly complete skeleton with feather impressions.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly what plants Archaeorhynchus ate, because its beak is not like that of any modern bird.2

Where the facts come from

Archaeorhynchus (en.wikipedia.org)
A beaked basal ornithurine bird (Aves, Ornithurae) from the Lower Cretaceous of China (ivpp.cas.cn)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Archaeorhynchus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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