Archaeopteryx crows, and this latter view is what currently is considered best-supported by morphological characters. Altogether, it appears that the species was not particularly specialized for running on the ground or for perching. A scenario outlined by Elżanowski in 2002 suggested that "Archaeopteryx" used its wings mainly to escape predators by glides punctuated with shallow downstrokes to reach successively higher perches, and alternatively, to cover longer distances (mainly) by gliding down from cliffs or treetops. A histological study by Erickson, Norell, Zhongue, and others in 2009 estimated that "Archaeopteryx" grew relatively slowly compared to modern birds, presumably because the outermost portions
Archaeopteryx be related particularly closely to "Anchiornis" and "Xiaotingia", which were recovered as basal troodontids instead. Agnolín and Novas (2013) found "Archaeopteryx" and (possibly synonymous) "Wellnhoferia" to be the basalmost avialans (Avialae being defined by the authors as including "Archaeopteryx lithographica" and "Passer", their most recent common ancestor and all of its descendants), with Microraptoria, Unenlagiinae, and the clade containing "Anchiornis" and "Xiaotingia" being successively closer outgroups to the Avialae. Another phylogenetic study by Godefroit, "et al.", using a more inclusive matrix than the one from the analysis in the description of "Eosinopteryx brevipenna", also found "Archaeopteryx" to be a member