Archaeornis

ancient bird

• archaios · Greek · ancient
• ornis · Greek · bird

The name combines the Greek words for "ancient" and "bird". It was coined as a separate genus for the Berlin specimen of the early feathered dinosaur usually placed in Archaeopteryx, which was thought to differ from the London specimen. The name echoes Archaeopteryx ("ancient wing"), but swaps "wing" for "bird".

Named by

Petronievics

Year named

1917

Period

Late Jurassic

Stage

Tithonian

Found in

Solnhofen Limestone, Bavaria, Germany

Junior synonym of Archaeopteryx. It was based on the Berlin specimen (often called Archaeornis siemensii), but most researchers now regard that specimen as belonging to Archaeopteryx. Archaeopteryx is an early avialan, a feathered theropod dinosaur close to the origin of birds.