Microraptor

Microraptor is a genus of small, feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 to 120 million years ago. Fossils have been found in the Jehol Biota of northeastern China. The genus is best known from the type species Microraptor gui, which represents a diminutive, bird-like predator in the dromaeosaurid family.

Microraptor gui was roughly the size of a modern crow, with long flight feathers on its forelimbs, hindlimbs, and tail. This arrangement gave the animal four wings, a feature unique among known non-avian dinosaurs. The tail carried a fan of feathers that would have aided stability and steering during movement through the air.

The four-winged anatomy suggests Microraptor could have used gliding locomotion, and possibly limited powered flight, though the extent of its aerial capabilities is the subject of ongoing debate among paleontologists. Fossil evidence indicates complex feather distribution and wing function that informs discussions of the evolution of flight in theropods.

Microraptor was described in 2000 by Xu Xing and colleagues, and it has played a crucial role in illustrating the diversity of feathered dinosaurs within the Jehol ecosystem. Analyses of preserved feathers have even suggested iridescent coloration in some specimens, inferred from melanosome preservation. Ecologically, Microraptor is interpreted as an arboreal predator that hunted small animals, contributing to the view of a mosaic of bird-like and dinosaurian traits in early avian evolution.