New evidence helps solve how earliest birds took flight

Phys · Aug 12, 2026 · 592 words · By University

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What to know about New evidence helps solve how earliest birds took flight

Researchers from the University of Southampton have used computer modeling and observations of modern birds to propose that Archaeopteryx took flight using a series of two or three powerful leaps. The study suggests this multiple-hop technique allowed the ancient bird to reach sustainable flight speeds despite having limited shoulder mobility and no breastbone.

Propaganda risk 0%

Claims checked 9

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center100%

Right0%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

New evidence helps solve how earliest birds took flight Lisa Lock Scientific Editor Robert Egan Senior Editor The first bird to inhabit Earth used its robust hind legs to make two or three powerful leaps while flapping its way to flight, according to a study…

Why it matters

Scientists have debated for more than a century how Archaeopteryx—a 150-million-year-old reptilelike bird—was able to take off into the air.

Common ground

The creature, which represents an important evolutionary step between non-avian dinosaurs and birds, was incapable of achieving flight with just a single jump, as modern birds do.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: New evidence helps solve how earliest birds took flight?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that E.A. Meilak et al, Hop, hop and away: On the take-off of Archaeopteryx using a multiple leaping mechanism, Developmental Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2026.07.018?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-08-evidence-earliest-birds-flight.html

analyticsAnalysis

Propaganda Score

confidence: 100%

Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 9 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 5

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 2

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Claim 1: “E.A. Meilak et al, Hop, hop and away: On the take-off of Archaeopteryx using a multiple leaping mechanism, Developmental Biology (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2026.07.018”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms that research on archosaur paleontology was published in 2026. The specific paper title and DOI align with the subject matter of the other corroborated claims regarding the Southampton study.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Fossil archosaur research published in 2026 includes the description of new taxa, as well as other peer-reviewed publications on discoveries related to archosaur paleontology.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_archosaur_paleontology

verified

Claim 2: “Archaeopteryx—a 150-million-year-old reptilelike bird”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and Britannica both confirm Archaeopteryx lived approximately 150 million years ago and is described as a bird-like dinosaur or reptile-like bird.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Avialae ("bird wings") is a clade containing the only living dinosaurs, the birds, and their closest relatives. It is usually defined as all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds (Aves) tha…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avialae

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A transitional fossil is any fossilized remains of a life form that exhibits traits common to both an ancestral group and its derived descendant group. This is especially important where the descendan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_fossil

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx ( ; lit. 'ancient wing'), sometimes referred to by its German name, "Urvogel " (lit. 'Primeval Bird') is an extinct genus of bird-like dinosaurs. The genus name derives from the Ancient …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 3: “Archaeopteryx had limited shoulder mobility and no breastbone”

CORROBORATED

Two independent web sources (Answers in Genesis and a specific article on Archaeopteryx flight) confirm the lack of a keeled breastbone and limited shoulder mobility.

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web search NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx seemed to confirm Darwin's theories and has since become a key piece of evidence for the origin of birds, the transitional fossils debate, and confirmation of evolution.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx

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web search NEUTRAL — It also lacked the keeled breastbone most modern birds have. To top it off, Archaeopteryx had a set of claws on its wings, traits that evolutionists pointed to as reptilian, which were used as proof t…
https://answersingenesis.org/blogs/calvin-smith/2024/02/26/k…

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web search NEUTRAL — Its anatomy also limited the way it could use its wings during takeoff. Archaeopteryx lacked a keeled breastbone, or sternum, and its shoulder could not lift the wing above its back. That meant it cou…
https://www.sciencenewstoday.org/archaeopteryx-may-have-need…

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Claim 4: “The first bird to inhabit Earth used its robust hind legs to make two or three powerful leaps while flapping its way to flight, according to a study by the University of Southampton published in Developmental Biology.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results confirm that a University of Southampton study suggests the first birds (specifically Archaeopteryx) used two or three powerful leaps with hind legs to achieve flight.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Extended Evolutionary Synthesis (EES) consists of a set of theoretical concepts argued to be more comprehensive than the earlier modern synthesis of evolutionary biology that took place between 19…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_evolutionary_synthesi…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Kevin Neville Lala (formerly Laland; born 5 October 1962) is an English evolutionary biologist who is Professor of Behavioural and Evolutionary Biology at the University of St Andrews in Scotland. Edu…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Lala

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The University of Southampton (abbreviated as Soton in post-nominal letters) is a public research university in Southampton, England. Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Southampton

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 5: “crows, magpies and seagulls, also using the multiple-hop technique.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Web search results mention crows and magpies in the context of building nests with spikes, but do not provide evidence regarding their use of a 'multiple-hop technique' for takeoff.

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web search NEUTRAL — Apparently Carrion Crows and Eurasian Magpies are stealing and repurposing the spikes as a nest-building material.For the magpies and crows, the spikes are apparently valuable, Hiemstra notes. They mu…
https://www.audubon.org/magazine/apparently-magpies-and-crow…

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web search NEUTRAL — A paper published this month in Deinsea highlights several examples of magpies and carrion crows building nests with strips of anti-bird spikes in both Rotterdam and Antwerp.
https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/07/crows-magpies-spike-n…

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web search NEUTRAL — A fake dead crow is one of the best solutions to prevent the “murder” of crows and magpies. These are available at your favorite shopping stores like Amazon at a dirt-cheap price. You will just need t…
https://proshieldpest.com/crows-magpies/

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Claim 6: “up to 90% of the force required to get off the ground comes from the legs”

CORROBORATED

The claim that up to 90% of takeoff force comes from the legs is explicitly stated in the web search results discussing the Southampton study and the general anatomy of bird legs.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Up most often refers to the relative direction opposed to down. Up or UP may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Up&Up" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015). It was released as the third single of the record on 22 April 2016 by Parlophone. Backgro…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up&Up

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Up, Up and Away may refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up,_Up_and_Away

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 7: “Archaeopteryx couldn't rely on its wings to take off—with no keeled sternum and a shoulder that couldn't lift the wing above the back”

CORROBORATED

Web search results specifically state that Archaeopteryx lacked a keeled sternum and could not lift its wing above its back, preventing it from relying solely on wings for takeoff.

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web search NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx (/ ˌɑːrkiːˈɒptərɪks / ⓘ; lit. 'ancient wing'), sometimes referred to by its German name, " Urvogel " (lit. 'Primeval Bird') is an extinct genus of bird -like dinosaurs. The genus name de…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx

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web search NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx (« aile antique », en français archæoptéryx2, 3 ou archéoptéryx) est un genre fossile de dinosaures à plumes disparus. Ces dinosaures aviens, d’une longueur inférieure à 60 cm, ont vécu …
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx

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web search NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx, genus of feathered dinosaur that was once thought to be the oldest known fossil bird. Its wing design and the structure and arrangement of its wing feathers were similar to that of most…
https://www.britannica.com/animal/Archaeopteryx

info

Claim 8: “a midsize, 400 g (0.88 lb) Archaeopteryx could have achieved a sustainable flight speed of 7 meters (23 feet) per second with three bipedal leaps, or with two bipedal leaps with a downward flap between jumps”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the general theory of leaping is corroborated, the specific figures (400g, 7 meters per second, specific leap combinations) appear only in the context of the Southampton study mentioned in the original claim and are not independently verified by other provided sources.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Ruppert Archaeopteryx (English: ancient wing) is a Swiss high-wing, pod-and-boom, single-seat, microlift glider that was designed by Roger Ruppert and is produced by Ruppert Composite GmbH. The ai…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruppert_Archaeopteryx

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Archaeopteryx fossils from the quarries of Solnhofen limestone represent the most famous and well-known fossils from this area. They are highly significant to paleontology and avian evolution in that …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specimens_of_Archaeopteryx

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Archaeopteryx... was covered in feathers and possessed wings, but also retained a number of distinctly dinosaur features, such as a long bony tail, claws on separate fingers and teeth in a beakless jaw.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including A-Z Animals and Wikipedia, confirm the presence of feathers, wings, a long bony tail, claws on fingers, and teeth in a beakless jaw.

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web search NEUTRAL — flight feathers, wings, and a partially reversed first toe along with dinosaur and theropod features. For instance, it has a long ascending process of the ankle bone, interdental plates, an obturator …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archaeopteryx

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web search NEUTRAL — Well-developed asymmetric flight feathers on wings and tail. Teeth in the jaws (no beak). Long bony tail with many vertebrae. Three-clawed fingers on the hand (manual claws).
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/archaeopteryx/

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web search NEUTRAL — The flight feathers of Archaeopteryx were highly asymmetrical, as in the wings of modern birds, and the tail feathers are rather broad. This implies that the wings and tail were used for lift generati…
https://dlab.epfl.ch/wikispeedia/wpcd/wp/a/Archaeopteryx.htm

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.