Archaeopteryx 'flew in bursts like a pheasant', scientists say

The winged Late Jurassic creature would take to the air in frenetic, flapping bounds, fossil x-rays show

Archaeopteryx, one of life on Earth's first stabs at building a bird, evaded predators and cleared obstacles on the ground by bursting into flight like a startled pheasant, a new analysis suggests.

High-resolution x-ray images of the creature's skeleton reveal tell-tale similarities with the bones of birds that cannot glide or soar but instead take to the air in frenetic, flapping bounds, scientists say.