Qiliania

Qiliania is an enantiornithean, a group of early birds that lived alongside dinosaurs.1

Its fossils were found in the Xiagou Formation, which is about 121 to 113 million years old.2

The fossils are three-dimensionally preserved, which is rare for early Cretaceous birds.3

Scientists measured the claw angle of Qiliania's foot and think it may have been a ground forager or an arboreal forager, like modern doves or cuckoos.3

Qiliania was named after the Qilian Mountains, and its species name honors Greg Graffin, a paleontologist and punk rock musician.1

Only two partial skeletons of Qiliania have been found, including a left pelvic girdle and leg.3