The consensus view in contemporary paleontology is that the flying theropods, or avialans, are the closest relatives of the <answer>deinonychosaurs</answer>, which include dromaeosaurids and troodontids. Together, these form a group called Paraves. Some basal members of this group, such as Microraptor, have features which may have enabled them to glide or fly. The most basal <answer>deinonychosaurs</answer> were very small. This evidence raises the possibility that the ancestor of all paravians may have been arboreal, have been able to glide, or both. Unlike Archaeopteryx and the non-avialan feathered dinosaurs, who primarily ate meat, recent studies suggest that the first avialans were omnivores.
What are the closest relatives of flying theropods?
deinonychosaurs