Full reference: P. Brodkorb. 1976. Discovery of a Cretaceous bird, apparently ancestral to the orders Coraciiformes and Piciformes (Aves: Carinatae). Smithsonian Contributions to Paleobiology 27:67-73
Parent taxon: Enantiornithes according to E. N. Kurochkin 1996
See also Brodkorb 1976, Kurochkin 2000 and Panteleyev 1998
Sister taxa: Aberratiodontuidae, Avimaia, Avisauridae, Bohaiornithidae, Boluochiformes, Brevirostruavis, Castignovolucris, Cathayornis, Cathayornis aberransis, Cathayornis chabuensis, Cathayornithiformes, Concornis, Cruralispennia, Dunhuangia, Elektorornis, Elsornis, Enantiornithiformes, Eoalulavis, Eocathayornis, Eoenantiornis, Eoenantiornithiformes, Euenantiornithes, Euornithiformes, Evgenavis, Falcatakely, Feitianius, Flexomornis, Fortipesavis, Fortunguavis, Gobipipus, Gobipteryx, Gretcheniao, Holbotia, Houornis, Huoshanornis, Iberomesornis, Junornis, Lectavis, Linyiornis, Longipterygidae, Longipterygiformes, Longirostravisiformes, Microenantiornis, Mirusavis, Monoenantiornis, Musivavis, Navaornis, Noguerornis, Orienantius, Otogornis, Paraprotopteryx, Parvavis, Pengornithidae, Piscivorenantiornis, Protopterygiformes, Protopteryx, Pterygornis, Qiliania, Shangyang, Sinornis, Vescornis, Xiangornis, Yatenavis, Yuanjiawaornis, Yungavolucris, Yuornis
Subtaxa: Alexornithidae Catenoleimus Enantiornithidae
Ecology: ground dwelling carnivore
Distribution:
• Cretaceous of Australia (2 collections), Mexico (2), Mongolia (1), Romania (1), Uzbekistan (6)
Total: 12 collections including 21 occurrences