A model of a feathered tyrant is on display during a press preview of "Dinosaurs Among Us", Mar. 15, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (Mary Altaffer/AP)

Almost as soon as Charles Darwin published “On the Origin of Species” in 1859, scientists began trying to figure out the origin of birds.

Evidence began accumulating that dinosaurs, which evolved from reptiles, were birds’ ancestors. Soon paleontologists were piecing together images of dinosaurs that had feathers instead of — or in addition to — scales; and some that had wings, though they could not fly. Studies revealed characteristics that birds and dinosaurs have in common, including hollow bones and nest-building behavior. Today, the dinosaurian origin of birds is widely accepted.

This month, the American Museum of Natural History in New York opened an exhibit showcasing the evidence for what is now “one of the best-documented evolutionary transitions in the history of life.” It will feature ancient fossils and lifelike models — including a 23-foot-long feathered tyrannosaur (Yutyrannus huali) and a small dromaeosaur with four wings and vivid plumage.

“Dinosaurs Among Us” is part of a series of exhibits and events the museum is staging to focus on new developments in paleontology. Earlier this year, it unveiled a 122-foot-long model of a gigantic dinosaur so newly discovered that it has not yet been formally named, though the museum calls it a titanosaur and says it weighed about 70 tons. (In a nice touch, the model is put in a room just a bit too small for it — its head and neck stick out into the elevator hall.)

Admission to the museum is $22 for adults, $12.50 for children, $17 for students and seniors. The exhibit will run until Jan. 2.