Canopy-hunting four-winged microraptor reveals soaring past in China
A newly described microraptor, Jian changmaensis, from the Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation in China’s Changma Basin, had long feathers on both arms and legs forming four wings and likely glided through trees to ambush early birds. At about the size of a barn owl with a roughly 1.2-meter wingspan, it provides insight into how close dinosaur relatives approached bird flight and highlights a canopy-hunting lifestyle among microraptors.
