Maniraptora

Maniraptors ("hand snatchers") is a clade of coelurosaurian dinosaurs starting in the Jurassic period.

Maniraptorans Temporal range: Early Jurassic–Present, 196–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N Possible Early Jurassic record
Skeleton cast of Falcarius utahensis
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	Maniraptoriformes
Clade:	Maniraptora Gauthier, 1986
Subgroups
†Elopteryx †Kakuru †Yaverlandia †Alvarezsauroidea †Therizinosauria Pennaraptora †Oviraptorosauria †Scansoriopterygidae Paraves
Synonyms
Metornithes Perle et al., 1993

Many paleontologists believe birds evolved from them some 150 or so million years ago. Hence, according to phylogenetic taxonomy, birds are by definition maniraptors, and the other maniraptors are their closest relatives. It is now known, from the Jehol biota, that many or all of this clade had feathers. They are often called dinobirds.

The most primitive (basal) member of the group may be Ornitholestes, and the most advanced (derived) of the non-bird maniraptors is Velociraptor and Deinonychus.