Maniraptora (`hand snatchers`) is a clade of coelurosaurian dinosaurs which includes the birds and the non-avian dinosaurs that were more closely related to them than to Ornithomimus velox. It contains the major subgroups Avialae, Deinonychosauria, Oviraptorosauria and Therizinosauria. Ornitholestes and the Alvarezsauroidea are also often includ..... Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maniraptora
(from the article `Life Sciences`) Until recently most specimens of deinonychosaurs, the theropods most closely related to birds, had been found only in North America and Asia. In 2005 ... The maniraptorans comprise birds, dromaeosaurs, and troodontids. Dromaeosaurs were medium-size predators with long, grasping arms and hands, ... [... Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/m/26