| Songlingornis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous,
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|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Avialae |
| Family: | †Songlingornithidae |
| Genus: | †Songlingornis Hou, 1997 |
| Species: | †S. linghensis
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| Binomial name | |
| †Songlingornis linghensis Hou, 1997
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Songlingornis is a prehistoric bird genus from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils have been found in the Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning (PRC).[1] The age of these rocks is somewhat disputed, but probably around the early Aptian, 125-120 million years ago. Only one species, Songlingornis linghensis, is known at present.
It was a close relative of Yanornis and together with this and Yixianornis forms a clade of early modern birds.[2] It is sometimes considered to be the same genus as Yanornis (which, described after Songlingornis, would then be merged into that taxon),[3] but this is not universally accepted.[4]
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