Origins of Birds

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Videos

Archaeopteryx: The holy grail of fossils

Silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings holding a "Hello, my name is ?" badge, next to a set of four large, weathered bones on a dark background.

Origins of birds

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Science studient dissecting frog

Pro and Con: Animal Dissection

Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) in mid-flight.

11 Questions About Birds Answered

Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species

Hungry Pelican waiting to be fed, beak open, Australia

Why Don’t Birds Have Teeth?

Shoebill. A Shoebill Stork (Balaeniceps rex), aka 'Whalehead' standing in shallow marsh. Resides in tropical East Africa. A very large bird related to the storks. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill.

Funky Feathers: 10 Bizarre Birds

Discover

Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"

How Deadly Is Quicksand?

Hemp (Cannabis sativa).

9 Mind-Altering Plants

Currency. Money. Cash. Dollars. Bills. Pile of ten, twenty, fifty, and hundred dollar bills.

6 Questions About the History of Money and Banking Answered

Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society

12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd

Causes of the Great Depression

King Cobra snake in Malaysia. (reptile)

9 of the World’s Deadliest Snakes

July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.

Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?

Origins of Birds: Media

Videos

Archaeopteryx: The holy grail of fossils

Archaeopteryx: The holy grail of fossils

Archaeopteryx is the earliest known dinosaur that's also a bird.

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Silhouette of a bird with outstretched wings holding a "Hello, my name is ?" badge, next to a set of four large, weathered bones on a dark background.

How to identify new species with just one bone

Hell Creek was home to T. rex, Triceratops, and now…these...

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Origins of birds

Origins of birds

This interactive showcases seven groups of animals that have contributed to the modern...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. / John Rafferty text, Miranda Chabot and Patrick Riley art

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: