Gansus yumenensis (Hou and Liu 1984, You et al. 2006; Early Cretaceous was known from several fossils, none of them complete and none of them including the skull, mandibles or anterior neck.

Gansus zheni (Liu et al. 2014 BMNHC–Ph 1342; Early Cretaceous) is known from a complete skeleton. It nests between Yanornis and Hongshanornis.

Hongshanornis longicristata (Zhou and Zhang 2005, Chiappe et al. 2014; DNHM D2945, Early Cretaceous, overall view at full scale) nests at the base of the crown birds. Small teeth were present in the dentary and premaxilla. This Early Cretaceous taxon provides the possibility that crown birds were present during the entire Cretaceous.

Longicrusavis houi (O'Connor, Gao and Chiappe 2010; PKUP V1069; Early Cretaceous), derived from Hongshanornis (above) and basal to Jinguofortis (below) in the LRT.

Jinguofortis perplexus (Wang, Stidham and Zhou 2018; Early Cretaceous, 127 mya; IVPP V24194) was described as “an unusual mosaic of bird and dinosaur features”. In the LRT it nests between Longicrusavis and Dingavis. Jinguofortis has a fused scapulocoraocid, distinct from sister taxa. Although it has a pygostyle, no fan of tail feathers was preserved, even though wing feathers were preserved.

Dingavis longimaxilla (IVPP V20284, O’Connor, Wang and Hu 2016) has a long toothy rostrum with fangs at the tip, and fangs at the dentary tip. The skull is bulbous with a gracile lacrimal. Here it nests derived from Jinguofortis (above) leaving no descendants.

Chiappe LM et al. 2014. A new specimen of the Early Cretaceous bird Hongshanornis longicresta: Insights into the aerodynamics and diet of a basal ornithuromorph. PeerJ. 2: e234. doi:10.7717/peerj.234

Ju S-B, Wang X-R, Liu Y-C and Wang Y 2021. A reassessment of Iteravis huchzermeyeri and Gansus zheni from the Jehol Biota in western Liaoning, China. China Geology 4(2):197–204.

Hou L and Liu Z 1984. A new fossil bird from Lower Cretaceous of Gansu and early evolution of birds. Sci. Sin. Ser. B. 27:1296−1302.

Li Y et al. (5 co-authors) 2011. New material of Gansus and a discussion on its habit. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 49:435–445.

O'Connor JK, Gao K-Q and Chiappe LM 2010. A new ornithuromorph (Aves: Ornithothoraces) bird from the Jehol Group indicative of higher-level diversity. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 30(2):311–321.

O’Connor JK, Wang M and Hu H 2016. A new ornithuromorph (Aves) with an elongate rostrum from the Jehol Biota, and the early evolution of rostralization in birds, Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, DOI: 10.1080/14772019.2015.1129518

Wang M, Stidham TA and Zhou Z 2018. A new clade of basal Early Cretaceous pygostylian birds and developmental plasticity of the avian shoulder girdle. PNAS https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1812176115

You et al. (12 co-authors) 2006. A nearly modern amphibious bird from the Early Cretaceous of Northwestern China. Science 312:1640–1643.

Zhou Z-H and Zhang F-C 2005. Discovery of an ornithurine bird and its implication for Early Cretaceous avian radiation. PNAS 102(52): 18998-19002. doi:10.1073/pnas.0507106102.

wiki/Dingavis
wik/Jinguofortis
wiki/Hongshanornis
wiki/Longicrusavis
wiki/Gansus