Laornis

Laornis is a genus of a prehistoric neornithine birds, known only from Specimen YPM 820, a single tibiotarsus leg bone discovered in the late 19th century. This makes the genus monotypic, containing only the species Laornis edvardsianus. The name Laornis means "stone bird", coming from Ancient Greek lao "stone" + ornis "bird". The species name edvardsianus honors Alphonse Milne-Edwards, a French paleontologist.

The bone was found in Late Cretaceous or Early Paleocene sediments of the Hornerstown Formation at the Birmingham Marl Pits, in Pemberton Township, New Jersey, United States. These deposits were laid down about 66–63 Ma, which means millions of years ago.

From the shape of the bone, scientists think Laornis was a semi-aquatic bird with long legs, about the size of a large goose. It might have been a wading bird, standing around one meter tall, or possibly a larger seabird with shorter legs.

Scientists have linked Laornis to several bird groups, such as the Charadriiformes and the Gruiformes, and it is placed in its own family called Laornithidae. It might have been related to the common ancestor of several modern wading birds, or even one of the extinct stilt-legged waterfowl of the Presbyornithidae. It could also have been an ancient pseudotooth bird, a type of seabird that evolved to very large sizes later on.