 "Yandangornis" had some features that suggest a terrestrial mode of life, such as blunt toe claws, a non-reversed hallux of the first toe, and strong legs.This lifestyle may have evolved in response to the long, heavy tail of the genus, which would have inhibited flying ability.Cai and Zhao placed "Yandangornis" in a monotypic family (Yandangithidae) and order (Yandangithiformes) in the subclass Sauriurae of the class Aves.