Songlingornis linghensis

† Songlingornis linghensis is an Early Cretaceous ornithothoracine bird from the Jiufotang Formation of China, representing a transitional form between primitive birds and modern avians. Its keeled sternum suggests advanced flight musculature.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Songlingornis linghensis was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Songlingornis linghensis lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.