The specimen is small, roughly the size of Archaeopteryx, with a total length around 58.8 centimetres (1.93 ft). The head is 50 millimetres (2.0 in) long. It is preserved in a seated position and visible from the ventral aspect. It has a long tail, with traces of tail feathers preserved. It has no teeth and no enlarged 2nd toe claw. Cai and Zhao noted some features of Yandangornis that are more primitive than Archaeopteryx, and some, like toothlessness, that could be more derived.[1]