Microraptor

Microraptor (Greek, μίκρος, mīkros: "small"; Latin, raptor: "one who seizes") was a genus of small, four-winged dromaeosaurid dinosaurs. Numerous well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China. They date from the early Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation (Aptian stage), 120 million years ago.

Like Archaeopteryx, Microraptor provides important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. Microraptor had long pennaceous feathers that formed aerodynamic surfaces on the arms and tail but also, surprisingly, on the legs. This led paleontologist Xu Xing in 2003 to describe it as a "four-winged dinosaur" and to speculate that it may have glided using all four limbs for lift. Three species have been named, M. zhaoianus, M. gui, and M. hanqingi, though further study has suggested that all of the specimens belong to a single species, which is properly called M. zhaoianus. Cryptovolans, initially described as another four-winged dromaeosaur, is usually considered be a synonym of Microraptor.

Microraptor was among the most abundant non-avian dinosaurs in its ecosystem, and is represented by more fossils than any other dromaeosaurid, with possibly over 300 fossil specimens represented across various museum collections.