Few subjects in evolutionary theory have posed such intriguing puzzles for so long as the origin of birds. Evidence of avian beginnings has been elusive in the fossil record because birds' light, ...

Shapes of beaks and snouts come in an extraordinary range of forms, reflecting adaptations to different lifestyles and ...

Most bird wings are far from aerodynamically optimal, suggesting evolution often settles for “good enough” instead of perfect ...

The woodpecker is a unique bird species that has gone through some mysteriously acquired adaptations since the extinction of the dinosaurs. Fossils tell us, without any explanations of course (because ...

A 'one of a kind' fossil discovery could transform our understanding of how the unique brains and intelligence of modern birds evolved, one of the most enduring mysteries of vertebrate evolution. A ...

Dinosaur origins: Birds evolved from small theropod dinosaurs, sharing traits like hollow bones, three-toed limbs, and feathers. Archaeopteryx link: The iconic transitional fossil shows both reptilian ...

Birds are the only dinosaur lineage that survived until today. About 66 million years ago at the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) boundary, a mass extinction event destroyed all non-avian dinosaurs, ...

In front of us was a dinosaur skeleton the size of a large dog. It was obviously a dinosaur, as it had the reinforced pelvis, with extra connections between the backbone and hips, that all dinosaurs ...