The importance of Archaeopteryx as an icon of evolution cannot be understated. From a paleontological and zoological viewpoint it marks the origin of a very successful, major vertebrate group: birds. Also, despite nearly 150 years of continued fossil discoveries, no fossil bird has been found that is older and more primitive than Archaeopteryx . Thus it remains the geologically oldest known bird. The question of the true relationships of Archaeopteryx has spurred countless studies of areas related to the origin of birds, bird flight, and feathers, which in turn have given us a much deeper insight into subjects such as bird flight, feather evolution, and the macro-evolutionary processes which lead to the emergence of radically new animal groups. It is now also possible for paleontologists to gain a much clearer understanding of the biology and physiology of the dinosaurs, through direct studies of their living descendants, the birds.

From a historical point of view the discovery of Archaeopteryx just two years after the publication of the first edition of Origin of Species , could not have been more fortuitous. Its discovery came at the time when the theory of evolution was beginning to dramatically change the common view of the world. Archaeopteryx , more than anything else, helped vindicate Darwin's theory, despite the fact that anti-evolutionists tried to disprove its nature almost exactly from the moment it appeared on the scientific stage. Despite these attacks, it has stood the test of time and is one of the best examples, if not the best example, of a Darwinian "transitory form."