'Giant flying murder heads' and other creatures that ruled the ancient sky
CNN
Birds have been evolving for 150 million years, but the story of the origin and evolution of flight is a long and complicated one. The more researchers learn, the more they realize that flight has evolved multiple times across animals like dinosaurs and lizards.
Today, birds are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates, and they've had a long time to evolve. The first "bird" in the fossil record is largely considered to be Archaeopteryx, which existed 155 million years ago. Around 55 million years ago, the first hummingbirds and parrots began to appear.
When Kenyan President William Ruto touched down in Beijing seven months ago, he was welcomed on the tarmac with a red carpet and cordons of Chinese troops standing at attention. Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: Securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects.