Timeline of oviraptorosaur research
This timeline of oviraptorosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the oviraptorosaurs, a group of beaked, bird-like theropod dinosaurs. 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. Early caenagnathid oviraptorosaur discoveries like "Caenagnathus" itself were also incorrectly classified at the time, having been misidentified as birds. The hypothesis  that caenagnathids were birds was questioned as early as 1956 by Romer, but not corrected until Osmolska formally reclassified them as dinosaurs in 1976. Meanwhile, the classification of "Oviraptor" as an ornithomimid persisted unquestioned by researchers like Romer and Steel until the early when Dale Russell argued against the idea in 1972. In 1976 when Osmolska recognized "Oviraptor"<nowiki>'</nowiki>s relationship with the Caenagnathids, she also recognized that it was not an ornithomimid and reclassified it as a member of the former family. However, that same year Rinchen Barsbold argued that "Oviraptor" belonged to a distinct family he named the  Oviraptoridae and he also formally named the Oviraptorosauria later in the same year. Like their classification, the paleobiology of oviraptorosaurs has been subject to controversy and reinterpretation. The first scientifically documented "Oviraptor" skeleton was found lying on a nest of eggs. Because its powerful parrot-like beak appeared well-adapted to crushing hard food items and the eggs were thought to belonged to the neoceratopsian "Protoceratops", oviraptorosaurs were thought to be nest-raiders that preyed on the eggs of other dinosaurs. In the , Barsbold proposed that oviraptorosaurs used their beaks to crack mollusk shells as well. In 1993, Currie and  colleagues hypothesized that small vertebrate prey may have also been part of the oviraptorosaur diet. Not long after, fossil embryonic remains cast doubt on the popular reconstruction of oviraptorosaurs as egg thieves when it was discovered that the ""Protoceratops"" eggs that "Oviraptor" was thought to be "stealing" actually belonged to "Oviraptor" itself. The discovery of additional "Oviraptor" preserved on top of nests in lifelike brooding posture firmly established that oviraptorosaurs had been "framed" as egg thieves and were actually caring parents incubating their own nests. 20th century. 1920s. 1923 1924 1930s. 1932 1933 1940s. 1940 1950s. 1956 1960s. 1960 1966  1970s. 1970 1971 1972 1976 1980s. 1981 1983 1986 1988 1990s. 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 21st century. 2000s. 2000 2001 2000 2002 2003 2004 2005 2007 2008 2009 2010s. 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019