Archaeopteryx

The Painten specimen extends referred Archaeopteryx material into the earliest Tithonian; the 150–148 Ma atlas interval is a formation- and specimen-bounded envelope, not the origin of Avialae or crown birds.

All securely referred Archaeopteryx specimens discussed here come from Late Jurassic Bavarian lithographic limestones; that observed concentration does not demonstrate global absence elsewhere.

Archaeopteryx is a Late Jurassic avialan outside crown Neornithes; substantial anatomical variation among referred specimens does not make it the direct ancestor of living birds.

Wing-bone geometry is compatible with short-burst active flight in comparative models, but the evidence does not directly observe behaviour, endurance or a modern crown-bird flight stroke.

Referred Archaeopteryx skeletons preserve toothed jaws, a long bony tail and feather associations, while wing-bone cross-sections differ from those of specialized soaring birds.