[1]The holotype and only known specimen of Avicranium is AMNH FARB 30834, a disarticulated skull attached to a few cervical (neck) vertebrae.

This quarry belongs to the 'siltstone member' of the Chinle formation, which corresponds to the late Norian to early Rhaetian stages of the Triassic.

Long believed to only contain multiple specimens of the early dinosaur Coelophysis, these blocks are now known to contain a multitude of different Triassic reptiles.

[2] AMNH FARB 30834 was uncovered during the preparation of a block containing the holotype of Effigia okeeffeae, a large shuvosaurid pseudosuchian.

Multiple other drepanosaur vertebrae and limb fragments have also been found in the block, although it is unclear whether they belong to the same specimen as AMNH FARB 308344.

The frontal, postfrontal, and postorbital bones (above and behind the eyes) project outwards, forcing the orbits to face forwards.

According to the digital endocast of the specimen, this domed cranium held an enlarged brain with large optic lobes.

It is very likely that these features convergently evolved with those of pterosaurs and modern birds, which would require similar sensory processing during flight.