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> “Archaeopteryx seemed to emerge fully fledged with the characteristics of modern birds,” said Michael Benton

Pun intended?

I suspect so, another one:

> Yet once those avian features were in place, birds took off.

It's almost not even a pun, just a literal statement. "Fledge" just means "to become feathered". https://www.etymonline.com/word/fledge

Insert Simpson's <"That's the joke"> meme here...