An evolutionary branch · still aliveOur World

Dinosaurs to Birds

Explore the fossils connecting birds with theropod dinosaurs, from early dinosaurs to living feathered descendants.

Origin depth

Official Earth time scaleSelect an eon on the road to reveal its eras.ICS 2026/06 ↗

Cosmic Originsbefore Earth’s geological eons

c. 13.8 billion years agoUniverse

The Big Bang

The universe expands and cools from a hot, dense early state.

Within the first few hundred million yearsEarly Universe

The first stars ignite

Gravity gathers primordial gas and the cosmic dark ages begin to lift.

c. 4.54 billion years agoSolar System

Earth takes shape

Rock and metal gather around the young Sun.

At least 3.5 billion years agoEarth

Microbial life leaves evidence

Ancient rocks preserve traces of a living planet.

c. 2.4 billion years agoAtmosphere & oceans

Oxygen transforms the atmosphere

Microbial photosynthesis changes the chemistry of Earth.

c. 1.8 billion years agoEarth

Complex cells diversify

Cells with internal structures establish a new branch of life.

c. 600 million years agoGlobal oceans

Large multicellular life spreads

Complex bodies become a visible part of the fossil record.

c. 230 million years agoSouth America

Dinosaurs enter the fossil record

Late Triassic fossils document an early dinosaur world.

c. 165–150 million years agoAsia

Feathers before modern birds

Some non-avian dinosaurs already wear feathered coverings.

c. 150 million years agoEurope

Archaeopteryx combines old and new

Feathered wings occur alongside teeth and a long bony tail.

c. 125 million years agoEurope

Early birds take to diverse skies

A fossil wing preserves evidence of sophisticated feather control.

c. 66.7 million years agoEurope

A fossil near the modern bird family

Asteriornis lives shortly before the end-Cretaceous extinction.

c. 66 million years agoGlobal

An extinction reshapes the living world

Non-avian dinosaurs disappear, but some bird lineages survive.

Present dayGlobal

The dinosaurs outside your window

Every living bird belongs to the dinosaur family tree.

Branch road complete

You’ve reached the end of Dinosaurs to Birds

Return to “Large multicellular life spreads” and continue along Big Bang to Us, or search for another origin below.