What is Dromaeosauridae?
Dromaeosauridae is a family of small to medium bird-like theropods, often nicknamed raptors. Members typically have an enlarged claw on the second toe, a tail stiffened by bony rods, and a body plan that sits close to the origin of birds. They are known mainly from the Cretaceous of North America and Asia.
Several members are known from feather impressions or quill knobs, so the old image of bare, scaly raptors is out of date. The family also shows how much size varied: some members were tiny gliding or climbing animals while others were several metres long.
How this group is defined here
Members are the 8 field notes whose family or immediate parent group in the Paleobiology Database catalogue is Dromaeosauridae. The interpreted diet field across the group is carnivore, based on skeletal features rather than direct observation. Groups are revised when new fossils are described, and some genera are placed here with less certainty than others, so each field note records its sources and limits.
