Aurornis is an
extinct genus of
theropod dinosaurs from the
Jurassic period of
China. The genus
Aurornis contains a single known
species,
Aurornis xui .
Aurornis xui may be the most
basal ("primitive")
avialan dinosaur known to date, and it is one of the earliest avialans found to date. The fossil evidence for the animal pre-dates that of the
Archaeopteryx lithographica, often considered the earliest bird species, by about 10 million years.