Archaeopteryx ɑːrkiː-OPTERIHKSAUDIO=LL-Q1860 (ENG)-NAOMI PERSEPHONE AMETHYST (NAOMIAMETHYST)-ARCHAEOPTERYX.WAV

Archaeopteryx (; “ancient wing”), sometimes referred to by its German name, “Urvogel” (“Primeval Bird”) is a genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The genus name derives from the Ancient Greek (archaîos), meaning ‘ancient’, and (ptérux), meaning ‘feather, wing’. Between the late 19th century and the early 21st century, Archaeopteryx was generally accepted by palaeontologists and popular reference books as the oldest known bird (member of the group Avialae). Older potential avialans have since been identified, including Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, Aurornis, and Baminornis.

Archaeopteryx lived in the Late Jurassic around 150 million years ago, in what is now southern Germany, during a time when Europe was an archipelago of islands in a shallow warm tropical sea, much closer to the equator than it is now.