Archaeornithes now thought to represent a single species, "Archaeopteryx lithographica", the "Archaeornis" being the Berlin specimen of "Archaeopteryx". While rarely used by palaenthologists today, the term was revived by the ornithologists Livezey and Zusi in 2007, for a group comprising Archaeopterygidae and the Confuciusornithidae. Archaeornithes The Archaeornithes, classically Archæornithes, is an extinct group of the first primitive, reptile-like birds. It is an evolutionary grade of transitional fossils, the primitive birds halfway between non avian dinosaur ancestors and the derived modern birds (avian dinosaur). Fossils of early birds were poorly known until the late 20th century. Of those known, all fell into
Specimens of Archaeopteryx first time with six other original fossils of "Archaeopteryx" at the "Munich Mineral Show" in October 2009. A first, quick look by scientists indicates that this specimen might represent a new species of "Archaeopteryx". It was found in a limestone bed that was a few hundred thousand years younger than the other finds. The eighth specimen of "Archaeopteryx" was officially announced in February 1996 at a special exhibition at Bavaria’s Naturkunde Museum. Its director, Matthias Mäuser, made the announcement to a surprised audience that the specimen had already been casted and that this was on display in the exhibit. Few