The earliest birds were more like small dinosaurs than any birds alive today

The first birds had sharp teeth, long bony tails and claws on their hands. The clear distinctions we see between living birds and other animals were not present in early birds.

In fact, the earliest birds were more like small dinosaurs than any birds alive today.

The earliest known (fossil-based) bird is Archaeopteryx from 150 million years ago, but birds evolved before that. Soon after Archaeopteryx, a series of birds with more advanced characteristics appeared. One group gave rise to modern birds during the late Cretaceous period. So, for a time, bird-like dinosaurs, primitive birds, and early modern birds coexisted.

Two examples of early birds are:

Lithographic Archaeopteryx

Archaeopteryx had many characteristics not found in modern birds, including:

1. Chin with teeth

2. There are claws on the hands

3. Long and bony tail

Saint Confucius

Confuciusornis was an early bird that lived in China 125 million years ago. It has many original features, including claws on its wings. However, it had more advanced features than Archaeopteryx, as it was one of the earliest known birds to have a shortened bony tail and a toothless beak. It also has feathers adapted for flight. Melanosome studies of the Confuciusornis fossil revealed that it had dark feathers on its body and dark and white feathers on its wings.

animal tags： Archaeopteryx Confucius Bird