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 (/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.

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

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.