Maniraptoriformes

Maniraptoriformes is a clade of theropod dinosaurs within the larger group Coelurosauria that includes the bird-like branch of theropods and their closest extinct relatives. In phylogenetic definitions, it comprises species that are more closely related to birds than to the earlier theropod Ornitholestes, with living birds representing the most distinct lineage within the group. The clade therefore encompasses the avian lineage and a variety of non-avian relatives that, in many analyses, includes dromaeosaurs, troodontids, oviraptorosaurs, and therizinosaurs.

The exact composition of Maniraptoriformes has varied among studies, but the group is unified by a trend toward increasingly bird-like features in its members. Common derived traits associated with the broader bird-like theropods include feathered bodies, modifications of the forelimbs and wrists (such as a flexible, semi-lunate wrist), and skull and brain adaptations that are more advanced than in earlier theropods. Feathers are documented in numerous members of this clade, spanning both non-avian species and early birds.

Fossil evidence places the emergence of maniraptoriforms in the Jurassic, with diversification continuing into the Cretaceous. The group ultimately gave rise to the birds, which are the sole living representatives of Maniraptoriformes. As such, the clade is central to studies of the dinosaur–bird transition, feather evolution, and the evolution of flight-related adaptations.