Hamipterus is an extinct genus of pteranodontoid pterosaurs that thrived in the Early Cretaceous period within the Shengjinkou Formation situated in northwestern China. It is exclusively represented by one species, the type species, H. tianshanensis. The wingspan of the specimens described ranged from 1.5 to 3.5 meters (4 feet 11 inches to 11 feet 6 inches).

The authors who described this genus identified several distinct traits, all of which were unique derived characteristics, or autapomorphies. These distinctive features include a hook-shaped process on the dentary, the front bone of the lower jaw; a slender ascending branch of the jugal bone that extends to the lacrimal bone, inclining forward and broadening at the top; a well-developed crest on the central supraoccipital bone at the top rear of the skull; a pneumatic foramen in the humerus near the base of the deltopectoral crest; and a spike-shaped process on the outer lower carpal bone of the wrist, pointing downward.

The discovery of a significant number of individuals allowed researchers to establish a growth series, revealing how individuals developed throughout their ontogeny. Larger individuals exhibited several changes, including relatively wider snout tips, a more robust snout crest that expanded its base forward, and the presence of more prominent grooves and ridges on the crest. The snout tip also straightened in side view rather than curving upward, and the groove in the dentary became deeper and longer.

However, there were no observed changes in the number of teeth, the degree of fusion in the symphysis of the lower jaws, or the shape of the postcranial skeleton, as the elements behind the skull were not found articulated. The discovery of this nesting colony provided insights into pterosaurs. In the case of the Hamipterus genus, it allowed for the establishment of the full growth pattern, including the development of the snout crest, which progressed more forward as individuals matured. Notably, both males and females were found to have crests on their snouts, with those of males being notably larger, challenging the theory that only male pterosaurs possessed crests.

Moreover, scans of embryos within eggs revealed that newly hatched baby pterosaurs were incapable of flight due to poorly developed bones. However, the thigh bones of juvenile Hamipterus were already well adapted for walking, suggesting that while young Hamipterus couldn't fly, they could still move about on land. The co-occurrence of adult fossils and eggs provided evidence that pterosaurs did not abandon their eggs but cared for their young until they could become independent.