All birds evolved from the raptor family of therapod dinosaurs.
AnswerPossibly none. Birds do have many features in common with theropods (bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs) which suggests that they had a common ancestor. We dont know that this common ancestor was a dinosaur though. It may well have been a bird (see related links).Looking back in time through the theropod fossil record, these dinosaurs appear to be more bird-like the further back in time you look. Raptors are known to have had feathers and were fairly bird-like, but Archaeopteryx was much more bird-like and lived much earlier and may have been an ancestor of the raptors. There is also a controversial fossil called Protoavis that was dated even earlier and was more bird-like still, with hollow bones like modern birds.
So birds may have been around throughout the mesozoic era and pre-date the dinosaurs. We have little record of them though because their hollow bones mean that few fossils survive to the present day.
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