Microraptor may have shed its feathers like modern songbirds

[sauroid]

"The first fossilized signs of sequential molting support the idea that Microraptor was a flyer."
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/microraptor-dinosaur-fossil-molting-feathers-songbirds?fbclid=IwAR1k1sHhL5cGjpMSHPe0t2gP7dh1FSvz0bgZrfej89xUWeInOWl3EZz4Tis

[Sarapaurolophus]

As someone who doesn't follow the latest dino news I am quite surprised to learn Microraptor could possibly get off the ground by itself. I still had the image in my head of an animal climbing up a tree to glide. I learned something today

[stargatedalek]

Wind tunnel studies have always supported the conclusion that Microraptor flew, even if the authors of those studies typically refused to even acknowledge that possibility.

The hind legs simply don't provide lift unless stretched backwards forming a shape like a modern birds tail, and even then neither set of wings produced enough lift alone for Microraptor to be able to glide efficiently. Lift was only produced when simulations added speed, and yet the obvious conclusion was completely ignored every time.

Now we just need some tests as to how the leg wings might have impacted manoeuvrability, perhaps Microraptor was flying something like a kestrel with a focus on highly controlled flying among tree cover. Of course the study would probably come to some conclusion that if it was highly manoeuvrable that only means it "must have been a pretty bad glider".