Timeline of oviraptorosaur research

The early history of oviraptorosaur paleontology is characterized by taxonomic confusion due to the unusual characteristics of these dinosaurs.

When initially described in 1924 Oviraptor itself was thought to be a member of the Ornithomimidae, popularly known as the "ostrich" dinosaurs, because both taxa share toothless beaks.

[1] The hypothesis that caenagnathids were birds was questioned as early as 1956 by Romer, but not corrected until Osmolska formally reclassified them as non-avian dinosaurs in 1976.

Meanwhile, the classification of Oviraptor as an ornithomimid persisted unquestioned by researchers like Romer and Steel[disambiguation needed] until the early 1970s when Dale Russell argued against the idea in 1972.

[3] 1923 1924 1932 1933 1940 1956 1960 1966 1970 1971 1972 1976 1981 1983 1986 1988 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Neornithes (P) Ichthyornis Hesperornis Patagopteryx Enantiornithes (P) Confuciusornis (P) Archaeopteryx (P) Dromaeosaurs (F) Troodontids Oviraptor Caudipteryx (F) Therizinosaurs (F) Protarchaeopteryx (F) Ornithomimids Tyrannosaurus Sinosauropteryx (F) Compsognathus 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019