Avemetatarsalia (meaning "bird
metatarsals") is a
clade name established by British palaeontologist
Michael Benton in 1999 for all crown group
archosaurs that are closer to
birds than to
crocodiles. It includes a similarly defined subgroup,
Ornithodira. An alternate name is
Pan-Aves, or "all birds", in reference to its definition containing all animals, living or extinct, which are more closely related to birds than to crocodiles.