It was collected from the Lower Cretaceous Dawangzhengzi Beds, middle Yixian Formation, from Lingyuan in the Liaoning Province, China.

O'Connor et al. (2010) found that Shanweiniao is a close relative of Longipteryx, Longirostravis, and Rapaxavis,[1] which together form a clade of long-beaked enantiornithean birds, the Longipterygidae.

[2] In a subsequent publication O'Connor et al. (2016) stated that interpretations of the tail morphology of this species are speculative due to incomplete preservation of the feathers of the holotype specimen.

O'Connor et al. (2016) also reported presence of narrow spaces visible between some of the tail feathers of the holotype specimen of Shanweiniao cooperorum.

[3] The specific name, cooperorum, is after Carl and Lynn Cooper who donated funds to support the study of Mesozoic birds in China.