Cretaceous
Confuciusornis
Confuciusornis sanctus
The catalogue presents Confuciusornis as a carnivore member of Confuciusornithidae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 125 Ma. Its estimated range is 0.5 m in length and 0.2 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Liaoning, China. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Confuciusornis, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Hou et al. (1995).
The PBDB places it in Confuciusornithidae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Confuciusornithidae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Confuciusornithidae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Barremian to the Aptian.
The PBDB catalogues 8 occurrences, with material from the Yixian Formation (7) and from the Jiufotang Formation (1). Provenance: China.
The catalogue records the holotype as IVPP V10919 and the type locality as “Liaoning, China”.
- IVPP V10919
- Liaoning, China
The catalogue's reference measurements are 0.5 m in length and 0.2 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 0.5 m
- 0.2 kg
The record gathers 35 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 0.5 m
- Weight
- 0.2 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 125 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1995
- Described by
- Hou Lianhai
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Confuciusornithidae
- Genus
- Confuciusornis
- Species
- C. sanctus
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- IVPP V10919
- Type locality
- Liaoning, China