Archaeopteryx lithographica

Archaeopteryx; Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 150.8–148.5 Ma PreЄ Є Є O O S S D D C C P P T T J J K K Pg Pg N N ↓
	A drawing of an Archaeopteryx by Michelle Hellstern, coloured in Photoshop; plate from A Field Guide to the Birds of Devonshire.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Family:	†Archaeopterygidae
Genus:	†Archaeopteryx; Meyer, 1861
Species:	†A. lithographica
Binomial name
	Archaeopteryx lithographica; Meyer, 1861 [nomen conservandum]
Synonyms
Genus synonymy Griphosaurus; Wagner, 1862 [nomen rejectum] ; Griphornis; Woodward, 1862 [nomen rejectum] ; Archaeornis; Petronievics, 1917 ; Jurapteryx; Howgate, 1984 ; Wellnhoferia?; Elżanowski, 2001 ; Species synonymy Pterodactylus crassipes; Meyer, 1857 [nomen rejectum] ; Rhamphorhynchus crassipes; (Meyer, 1857) [nomen rejectum] ; Scaphognathus crassipes; (Meyer, 1857) [nomen rejectum] ; Archaeopteryx crassipes; (Meyer, 1857) [nomen rejectum] ; Griphosaurus problematicus; Wagner, 1862 [nomen rejectum] ; Griphornis longicaudatus; Woodward, 1862 [nomen rejectum] ; Griphosaurus longicaudatus; (Woodward, 1862) [nomen rejectum] ; Archaeopteryx macrura; Owen, 1862 [nomen rejectum] ; Archaeopteryx siemensii?; (Dames, 1897) ; Archaeornis siemensii; (Dames, 1897) ; Archaeopteryx owenii; Petronievics, 1917 [nomen rejectum] ; Archaeopteryx recurva; Howgate, 1984 ; Jurapteryx recurva; (Howgate, 1984) ; Archaeopteryx bavarica; Wellnhofer, 1993 ; Wellnhoferia grandis?; Elżanowski, 2001 ;

Archaeopteryx lithographica (/ˌɑrkiːˈɒptərɨks/ AR-kee-OP-tər-iks), sometimes referred to by its German name Urvogel ("original bird" or "first bird"), is a genus of theropod dinosaur that is closely related to birds. The name derives from the Ancient Greek ἀρχαῖος (archaīos) meaning "ancient", and πτέρυξ (ptéryx), meaning "feather" or "wing". Since the late 19th century, it has been generally accepted by palaeontologists, and celebrated in lay reference works, as being the oldest known bird, though some more recent studies have cast doubt on this assessment, finding that it might instead be a non-avialan dinosaur closely related to the origin of birds.^[1]

Other names[]

In Devonshire, it is nicknamed "Penciled raven"; however, it is not a raven. It is also called Urvogel.

Description[]

Similar species[]

Behaviour[]

Diet[]

Calls[]

Reproduction[]

Distribution/habitat[]

References[]

^ Xing Xu, Hailu You, Kai Du and Fenglu Han (28 July 2011). "An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae". Nature. 475 (7357): 465–470. PMID 21796204. doi:10.1038/nature10288.

External links[]

Projects

This article is part of Project Aves, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each bird, including made-up species.

This article is part of Project Archaeopterygidae, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each archaeopterid, including made-up species.

This article is part of Project Monotypic Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each monotypic genera, including made-up species.

This article is part of Project Bird Genera, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each genus, including made-up genera.

[Xiaotingia-1] Xing Xu, Hailu You, Kai Du and Fenglu Han (28 July 2011). "An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae". Nature. 475 (7357): 465–470. PMID 21796204. doi:10.1038/nature10288.

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