The Hell Creek Ornithurines are four unnamed species of prehistoric bird that lived in the Late Cretaceous period of Montana. All four are part of the family Ornithurae, with one classified as a member of Hesperornithines, while another has been classified as a member of Ichthyornithes. The other two have not been classified, but are only referred to as ornithurines.
It is possible that some of these ornithurines belong to already existing species. The hesperornid shares similarities with Brodavis and may actually be a synonym of Potamornis, while one of the unclassified ornithurines is similar in appearance to and may be a synonym of Cimolopteryx. This same ornithurine is currently being studied for a future description.
Paleoecology[]
These birds coexisted with other birds such as Styginetta. They also coexisted with predators such as Tyrannosaurus and Dakotaraptor, along with Herbivores such as Ankylosaurus, Triceratops, and Edmontosaurus.
In Popular Culture[]
One of the unclassified ornithurines, known as Unnamed Ornithurine B, appears in the game Saurian. It is referred to in the game as "DePalma's Ornithuran" after one of the paleontologists currently working on the specimen.