Microraptor

Microraptor was a genus of small, feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from Early Cretaceous China. Long flight feathers on its arms and legs gave it four feathered wings.

Gliding flight: A form of aerial movement in which an animal travels through air without powered flapping. Microraptor may have used its feathered limbs to glide between elevated perches.
Dromaeosauridae: A family of feathered theropod dinosaurs that includes Velociraptor and other close relatives of birds. Microraptor belongs to this family of agile, sickle-clawed predators.
Jehol Biota: A rich Early Cretaceous fossil ecosystem of northeastern China, preserved in lake deposits and volcanic ash. Its exceptionally preserved fossils include Microraptor and many other feathered animals.
Microraptor gui: A named species of Microraptor described from Early Cretaceous fossils in China. Its fossils helped establish the genus's distinctive four-limbed feather arrangement.
Dinosaur flight origins: Research into how powered flight evolved among theropod dinosaurs and early birds. Microraptor informs debates about whether aerial abilities preceded the origin of birds.
Microraptor flight models: Scientific reconstructions that test how Microraptor's feathered limbs could have functioned during aerial movement. Competing models assess whether its legs extended sideways or hung beneath the body.
Theropoda: A major group of dinosaurs that includes birds and their extinct bipedal relatives. Its broader ancestry lies among theropod dinosaurs.
Jiufotang Formation: An Early Cretaceous geological formation in northeastern China known for exceptionally preserved fossils. Microraptor fossils are known from this formation's deposits.
Microraptor zhaoianus: A named species of Microraptor from Early Cretaceous China. It is the type species that anchors the genus name.
Avian flight: Powered aerial locomotion in birds, generated chiefly by flapping the wings. Whether Microraptor could sustain powered flight remains disputed against its evidence for gliding.

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