Orientornis
Extinct species of bird
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Orientornis is an extinct species of ratite from the Miocene of China.[1]
| Orientornis Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
| |
| Pelvic girdle of Orientornis linxiaensis | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Infraclass: | Palaeognathae |
| Order: | Struthioniformes |
| Family: | Struthionidae |
| Genus: | †Orientornis Wang, 2008 |
| Type species | |
| †Orientornis linxiaensis | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Struthio linxiaensis Hou et al., 2005[1] | |
Description
Remains of a pelvis, including a synsacrum, were recovered from mudstone in the Linxia Basin, Guanghe County, Gansu Province, northwest China. Based on the size of these remains, it is believed to have been slightly larger than Struthio camelus. When this bird lived, the area is believed to have been either open grasslands or wetlands.[1]
Taxonomy
Orientornis was originally named as a species of Struthio, S. linxiaensis, by Hou et al. (2005).[1] However, Wang (2008) placed the taxon in its own genus, Orientornis.[2]
Mikhailov and Zelenkov (2020) have disputed the validity of this genus, treating Orientornis as a junior synonym of Struthio, and noting that a direct comparison with Struthio wimani is required, as both taxa may represent the same species.[3]
