Four-Wwinged Microraptor Jian changmaensis Emerges as Changma’s Bird Predator
Scientists describe Jian changmaensis, a new carnivorous microraptor from China’s Changma Basin, as the likely predator behind the site’s broken bird fossils. Based on a forelimb bone and relatives’ anatomy, Jian probably had long feathers on its wings and legs, giving four wing-like surfaces and enabling gliding rather than true flight. Roughly the size of a barn owl with an estimated wingspan around 1.2 meters, it is the largest microraptor found there and the only non-avian dinosaur in the assemblage. The genus name honors a Chinese myth, and the species name reflects Changma. The discovery, published in the Annals of the Carnegie Museum, illuminates the ecological context of early birds.
