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A taxonomic genus within the family Archaeopterygidae – known from fossils and widely accepted as the earliest and most primitive known bird. quotations examples
The first big clue to the origin of birds came in 1861, when quarry workers in Solnhofen, Germany, found a spectacular fossil of a 145-million-year-old bird that came to be called Archaeopteryx. It had feathered wings like living birds, but also had traits found in reptiles, such as teeth, claws and a long bony tail.
2023 June 3, Carl Zimmer, “How Did Birds First Take Off?”, in The New York Times (in English)