Archaeopteryx was first bird after all   PhysOrg - October 26, 2011
The crown of the famous 150-million-year-old Archaeopteryx fossil as the first bird has been restored by a new evolutionary tree. Archaeopteryx had been considered for 150 years to be the first known bird since the first complete specimen was found in Germany in 1861, revealing a combination of reptilian and and bird features. But Chinese researchers asserted recently that a new and closely related fossil, Xiaotingia zhengi, was a bird-like dinosaur - therefore suggesting that Archaeopteryx was also a dinosaur.

'Oldest bird' knocked off its perch   MSNBC - July 27, 2011
The newfound fossil of a 155 million-year-old feathered dinosaur has led scientists to claim that Archaeopteryx, the species long held forth as the "oldest bird," is no bird at all. Chinese researchers made the claim in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature, and an outside expert says the study "is likely to rock the paleontological community for years to come." Ohio University paleontologist Lawrence Witmer noted that the latest research, focusing on a fossil species dubbed Xiaotingia zhengi, comes 150 years after the discovery of Archaeopteryx, which marked a milestone in the study of the origin of birds.

Bird fossils reveal life's colourful chemistry   BBC - June 30, 2011
The pigments preserved in fossils, including a 120 million-year-old bird, have been revealed using X-rays.

Ancient Jamaican bird used wings to go clubbing   BBC - January 5, 2011
An extinct flightless bird from Jamaica fought rivals and predators using wings evolved into clubs, scientists suggest. The boney bludgeons carried by Xenicibis xympithecus are unlike anything else known in the bird world - or in mammals, reptiles or amphibians.

Pictures: Giant Fossil Bird Found With Spiky "Teeth"   National Geographic - September 16, 2010

DNA of extinct birds extracted from ancient eggshell   BBC - March 10, 2010

Earliest toothless bird found   PhysOrg - December 10, 2009

New flying reptile fossils found   BBC - October 14, 2009
"Darwin's Wing" Fills Evolution Gap   National Geographic - October 14, 2009

Four-Winged Fossil Bridges Bird-Dinosaur Gap   Wired - September 25, 2009

Iridescence found in 40-million-year-old fossil bird feather   PhysOrg - August 26, 2009

Ancient Bird's Feathers Had Iridescent Glow   Live Science - August 26, 2009

Fossil feathers reveal their hues BBC - July 9, 2008

Oldest Parrot Fossil Found -- In Scandinavia? National Geographic - May 23, 2008

Dino-Era Seabird Fossils Found in New Zealand National Geographic - February 22, 2008

Ancient American bird was glider BBC - July 3, 2007

Largest Flying Bird Could Barely Get off Ground, Fossils Show National Geographic - July 3, 2007

Dodo Skeleton Found on Island, May Yield Extinct Bird's DNA National Geographic - July 3, 2007

Dinosaur-Era Birds Surprisingly Ducklike, Fossils Suggest National Geographic - June 15, 2006

110 million-year-old birds bridge gap between age of dinosaurs and today

Flying reptiles just got bigger BBC - September 9, 2005

Relatives Of Living Ducks And Chickens Existed Alongside Dinosaurs More Than 65 Million Years Ago Science Daily - January 2005

Oldest hummingbird fossils found BBC

Feathered embryo found in China BBC - October 2004