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Zhengheornis

Say it: zheng-he-OR-nis

Name means: “Zhenghe bird, from Zhenghe County in China and the Greek word for bird”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsLate Jurassic

Zhengheornis was a tiny bird-like dinosaur that lived about 150 million years ago in what is now China. It had a short tail made of 15 bones, but no pygostyle, which is the fused tailbone modern birds have. This little creature helps scientists understand how bird tails evolved step by step.2 1

Lived

152 to 145 million years ago5

Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Near Yangyuan Village, Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, China5 1

Food

Meat5

Weight

0.074 kg to 0.163 kg2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Zhengheornis is one of the smallest known early bird relatives, weighing only about as much as a modern robin (74 to 163 grams).2

Its tail had 15 short vertebrae but no pygostyle, showing that tail shortening happened before the bones fused together in bird evolution.2

The name 'buyu' means 'unexpected' in Mandarin, because scientists were surprised by its unusual tail and pelvis.1

Zhengheornis lived alongside other early birds like Fujianvenator and Baminornis in the Zhenghe Fauna of Late Jurassic China.2

Scientists think Zhengheornis was not especially good at climbing trees or walking on the ground, unlike some of its relatives.2

The only known fossil was found in 2024 and includes bones, feather traces, and parts of the arms, legs, and pelvis.1

AI-made picture of Zhengheornis — An AI-made picture of how Zhengheornis 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 Zhengheornis

?How big was Zhengheornis?

Zhengheornis was incredibly tiny, weighing only about 74 to 163 grams, similar to a modern robin. It is one of the smallest known long-tailed early bird relatives.3 4

?When did Zhengheornis live?

Zhengheornis lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 120 to 130 million years ago, in what is now China.1 3

?Why is Zhengheornis important?

Zhengheornis is important because its short tail of 15 unfused vertebrae shows that tail shortening happened before the bones fused into a pygostyle, filling a gap in bird evolution.3 4

?What did Zhengheornis eat?

Scientists do not know exactly what Zhengheornis ate. It was likely an ecological generalist, not specialized for living in trees or on the ground.3 4

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Zhengheornis
Named by: Wang et al. 20265
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Avialae5
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae5
Age of the rocks: 152 to 145 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)5
Rock formations: Nanyuan5
Countries: China5
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: Zhengheornis was discovered in 2024 during fieldwork in Fujian Province, China, and named by Min Wang and colleagues in 2026.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating exactly where Zhengheornis fits on the family tree of early birds, though most agree it is one of the earliest avialans.2

Where the facts come from

Zhengheornis (en.wikipedia.org)
Jurassic avialan reveals stepwise evolution of bony tail in birds (dinodata.de)
China Jurassic Pocket-Sized Bird Fills a Puzzle of the Evolution of Bird Tail_Headline_Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (english.ivpp.cas.cn)
China Jurassic Pocket-Sized Bird Fills a Puzzle of the Evolution of Bird Tail_Research Progress_Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (english.ivpp.cas.cn)
Zhengheornis 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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