Dinosaur finally gets its wings: Study proves Archaeopteryx could fly

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Volunteer paleontologists needed to help with rare dinosaur find Scientists examining a rare dinosaur skeleton are appealing to the public for help excavating it and offering to train them in the art of fossil preparation as Stuart McDill reports. Video provided by Reuters

"I can fly!"

A study finally gives the late-Jurassic dinosaur Archaeopteryx its wings, determining the beast was capable of powered flight.

For decades, paleontologists debated whether Archaeopteryx used its wings for active flight or passive gliding. Using new, powerful, state-of-the-art X-ray technology, scientists determined the wing bones of Archaeopteryx matched modern birds that flap their wings to fly short distances or in bursts.

The dinosaur lived roughly 150 million years ago in what's now southern Germany. It was about the size of a crow.

In terms of flight, the pheasant most closely matches this dinosaur, the study suggests. The dinosaur may have occasionally flown to cross barriers or dodge predators, but wasn't able to soar to great heights, such as many birds of prey and some seabirds do today, said Emmanuel de Margerie, of Sorbonne University in France.

The species is now classified as the oldest free-flying dinosaur.

Scanning data unexpectedly revealed the wing bones of Archaeopteryx shared important adaptations with those of modern flying birds.

The sensitivity of X-ray imaging techniques allows virtual 3-D reconstructions of extraordinary quality, said study co-author Paul Tafforeau, a scientist at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France.

Steve Brusatte, of the University of Edinburgh, who was not connected with the study, told the BBC that this was the best evidence yet that the animal was capable of powered flight.

"It's case-closed now," he said. "Archaeopteryx was capable of at least short bursts of powered flight."

The study was published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed British journal Nature Communications.