Shanweiniao

Name: Shanweiniao ‭(‬fan tailed bird‭)‬.
Phonetic: Shan-wy-ne-ow.
Named By: J.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬O'Connor,‭ ‬X.‭ ‬Wang,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Chiappe,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Gao,‭ ‬Q.‭ ‬Meng,‭ ‬X.‭ ‬Cheng‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Liu‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Enantiornithes,‭ ‬Longipterygidae.
Species: S.‭ ‬cooperorum‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Insectivore‭?
Size: Unavailable.
Known locations: China,‭ ‬Liaoning Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Yixian Formation‭ (‬Dawangzhanhgzi Member‭)‬.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Partial remains of an individual preserved flat on a slab.

       Shanweiniao is a genus of enantiornithine bird that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous.‭ ‬When the genus was described in‭ ‬2010,‭ ‬Shanweiniao was the only known enantiornithine which had a wing structure that was capable of generating lift.‭ ‬The name Shanweiniao means‭ ‘‬fan tailed bird‭’‬,‭ ‬a reference to the structure of the tail feathers.‭ ‬Until the description of Shanweiniao,‭ ‬such a tail had only been seen in one other Mesozoic bird genus called Yixianornis.‭ ‬Shanweiniao is noted for having a snout longer than most other known enantiornithines,‭ ‬and this was likely a feeding specialisation that allowed enantiornithine to pluck out small animals such as insects.

Further reading
-‭ ‬Phylogenetic support for a specialized clade of Cretaceous enantiornithine birds with information from a new species.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬29‭(‬1‭)‬:188-204.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬K.‭ ‬O'Connor,‭ ‬X.‭ ‬Wang,‭ ‬L.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Chiappe,‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Gao,‭ ‬Q.‭ ‬Meng,‭ ‬X.‭ ‬Cheng‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Liu‭ ‬-‭ ‬2009.



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