Did birds evolve from flying lizards?

Birds actually evolved from a large group of dinosaurs called theropods. Theropods were mostly bipedal, and composed of species including the Tyrannosaurs, Spinosaurs, and raptors. read more

In a way, birds kind of DID evolve from flying lizards, in that there is no clear divide from when these constantly evolving and changing organisms went from dinosaur to bird. That's why birds are often called the last living dinosaurs! On the other hand, there was another group of flying reptiles around at the same time. read more

The origin of birds has historically been a contentious topic within evolutionary biology. However, only a few scientists still debate the dinosaurian origin of birds, suggesting descent from other types of archosaurian reptiles. read more

Birds are much more closely related to crocodiles than crocodiles are to turtles or to lizards. And birds didn’t evolve from any of the types of animals we call ‘reptiles’ today. If we go by the phylogenetic tree and insist on calling animals reptiles, though - then birds actually ARE reptiles. read more