Genus: Beipiaosaurus XU, TANG & WANG, 1999
Etymology: Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China, the city near the locality where the specimen was found, and Greek, sauros, “lizard”: Beipiao lizard.

Species: inexpectus XU, TANG & WANG, 1999
Etymology: Inexpectus: referring to the surprising features in this animal.

Holotype: IVPP V11559

Locality: Sihetun, Shangyuan, near Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China.

Horizon: Horizon 1, Lower part of the Yixian Formation, Jehol Group.

Biostratigraphy: Psittacosaurus Fauna, Confuciusornis Avifauna.

Age: Valanginian Stage, Upper Neocomian Subepoch, Early Early Cretaceous Epoch, Early Cretaceous.

Material: Fragmentary dentary, splanchocranium, neurocranium, and palate, and fragmentary skeleton with ‘feather’ integument?
Note: XU, CHENG, WANG & CHANG, 2003 report newly found pelvis and pygostyle tail with feather impressions from the type specimen.

Note: Has a furcula.

Referred material:

XU, ZHENG & YOU, 2009

Locality: Jianchang, Western Liaoning Province, China.

Horizon: Yixian Formation.

Biostratigraphy:

Age: Early Cretaceous.

Material:

STM31-1: Skull and nearly complete skeleton.

Note: With feather impressions, and skin impressions (McNAMARA, ZHANG, KEARNS, ORR, TOULOUSE, FOLEY, HONE, ROGERS, BENTON, JOHNSON, XU & ZHOU, 2018).