For more than a century, the small theropod dinosaur Archaeopteryx lithographica from the Late Jurassic period was considered to have been the earliest bird. Modern phylogenies place birds in the …

Birds evolved from a group of dinosaurs called theropods, which are known for the ability to walk on their hind legs rather than on all fours.

Find out when the first birds appeared, what they looked like and how they behaved. Learn about the wonderchicken, as well as the earliest bird-like animals such as Archaeopteryx and Anchiornis.

Feb 12, 2020 · The earliest known (from fossils) bird is the 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx, but birds had evolved before then. A range of birds with more advanced features appeared soon after …

Sep 27, 2025 · When you picture the first bird, maybe you imagine a feathered dinosaur, something tiny and kind of odd-looking. Archaeopteryx stands out as the most famous early bird—this creature lived …

The hunt for the ancestors of living birds began with a specimen of Archaeopteryx, the first known bird, discovered in the early 1860s. Like birds, it had feathers along its arms and tail, but unlike living …

Aug 6, 2025 · The journey to understanding bird origins began in earnest in 1861 with a fossil found in a limestone quarry in Solnhofen, Germany. Preserved in remarkable detail, it was unlike anything …

Nov 19, 2023 · Here we dive into the fossils, genes, and anatomical adaptations that trace the evolutionary origins of birds. When did birds first appear? The oldest undisputed fossil bird is …

Sep 10, 2025 · Birds evolved from their non-avian dinosaur ancestors over an evolutionary timeline of millions of years. Fossil evidence provides a detailed glimpse into this transformation, like a puzzle …

For many years a fossil discovered in a Bavarian limestone quarry was considered to be the first bird. Archeopteryx lithographica (ancient wing of limestone) lived about 150 million years ago and had …