Was Archaeopteryx Really Descended From Dinosaurs?

Archaeopteryx had features of both dinosaurs and birds and lived at the end of the Jurassic Period. It was covered with feathers and had wings, but it was more like Coelurosaurus, another agile biped, or two-legged creature, than birds today. Since Coelurosaurus was descended from dinosaurs, perhaps Archaeopteryx was too. But since it is known that birds evolved at the same time as dinosaurs this point is not certain. Since its discovery in 1861 Archaeopteryx has been the subject of debate. One theory says it was not a bird at all but instead was a feathered dinosaur. Another says it could not fly but used its wings to catch insects. The foremost characteristic of feathers, however, is that by resistance to air they make flight possible. For the same reason they would have been inefficient tools of hatching prey. Archaeopteryx's wings were almost certainly meant for flying. Birds are characterized by feathers, so it is possible that Archaeopteryx branched off from dinosaurs at some stage and can be considered one of the ancestors from which modern birds evolved.