( ( ( ( ( Birds ( ( evolved ( from reptiles ) ) ( ( ( some ( 60 million ) ) years ) ago ) ) ) , ) and ) ( ( in ( that time ) ) ( ( ( the ( humble scales ) ) ( of ( ( the ( lizard-like ancestor ) ) ( of ( ( the bird ) ( -LRB- ( archaeopteryx -RRB- ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ( have ( been ( ( transformed ( into ( ( ( the ( staggering diversity ) ) and ) beauty ) ) ) ( that ( we ( now ( know ( as ( ( the plumage ) ( of ( modern birds ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) ) . )
(ROOT (S (S (NP (NNP Birds)) (VP (VBD evolved) (PP (IN from) (NP (NNS reptiles))) (ADVP (NP (QP (DT some) (CD 60) (CD million)) (NNS years)) (RB ago)))) (, ,) (CC and) (S (PP (IN in) (NP (DT that) (NN time))) (NP (NP (DT the) (JJ humble) (NNS scales)) (PP (IN of) (NP (NP (DT the) (JJ lizard-like) (NN ancestor)) (PP (IN of) (NP (NP (DT the) (NN bird)) (PRN (-LRB- -LRB-) (NP (NN archaeopteryx)) (-RRB- -RRB-))))))) (VP (VBP have) (VP (VBN been) (VP (VBN transformed) (PP (IN into) (NP (NP (DT the) (JJ staggering) (NN diversity)) (CC and) (NP (NN beauty)))) (SBAR (IN that) (S (NP (PRP we)) (ADVP (RB now)) (VP (VBP know) (PP (IN as) (NP (NP (DT the) (NN plumage)) (PP (IN of) (NP (JJ modern) (NNS birds)))))))))))) (. .)))
Birds evolved from reptiles some 60 million years ago, and in that time the humble scales of the lizard-like ancestor of the bird (archaeopteryx) have been transformed into the staggering diversity and beauty that we now know as the plumage of modern birds.
(ROOT (S (NP (NNP Birds)) (VP (VBD evolved) (PP (IN from) (NP (JJ reptile) (NNS ancestors)))) (. .)))