Evolution of Birds

dinosaurs · evolution · ancient life · feathers

Birds Are Dinosaurs. Birds didn't just descend from dinosaurs, they ARE dinosaurs. They evolved from a special group of theropod dinosaurs called Paraves during the Jurassic Period, which started about 201 million years ago.

Archaeopteryx Was Famous. For over 100 years, scientists thought a small creature called Archaeopteryx lithographica was the very first bird. It lived during the Late Jurassic Period and had both dinosaur and bird features, making it a perfect link between the two.

Dinosaurs Never Left. When a giant space rock crashed into Earth 66 million years ago and wiped out most dinosaurs, some dinosaurs survived because they had evolved into birds. This is why scientists say that birds are the only dinosaurs still alive today.

Four Survivor Groups. After that ancient asteroid impact, four main groups of birds survived and gave rise to all birds alive now. These include ostriches and their relatives, waterfowl like ducks, ground-living birds like chickens, and all the other modern bird types we see today.

Related to Crocodiles. Birds share an ancient ancestor with crocodiles more recently than with any other animal alive today. Together, birds and crocodiles belong to a reptile group called Archosauria that goes back hundreds of millions of years.