Rahonavis

Rahonavis is a genus of bird-like theropods from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, about 70 mya) of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton (UA 8656) found by Catherine Forster and colleagues in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province.[1] Rahonavis was a small predator, at about 70 centimetres (2.3 ft) long,[2] with the typical Velociraptor-like raised sickle claw on the second toe.

The name Rahonavis means, approximately, "cloud menace bird", from Malagasy 'rahona' (RA-hoo-na, "cloud" or "menace") + Latin 'avis' "bird". The specific name, R. ostromi, was coined in honor of John Ostrom.