The specimens were collected at deposits near the Lamadong Town, Jianchang County of the Liaoning Province, from the Jiufotang Formation, dating to the Aptian stage of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 120.3 million years ago.

Both specimen came from subadult individuals, the referred being more mature than the holotype, as evident by the absence or degree of fusion in some compound bones, such as the carpometacarpus, tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus.

[1] The phylogenetic position of Parabohaiornis was explored by Wang et al. (2014) using a data matrix that includes 56 avialan taxa, scored based on 262 morphological traits.

Parabohaiornis was recovered as an advanced bohaiornithid, closely related to Bohaiornis whose specimens were collected at a nearby locality, also near the Lamadong Town.

Pengornis Eocathayornis Cathayornis Neuquenornis Gobipteryx Vescornis Eoalulavis Concornis Qiliania Eoenantiornis Shenqiornis Sulcavis Zhouornis Longusunguis Parabohaiornis Bohaiornis