A newly identified microraptor, roughly the size of a barn owl, is giving dinosaur fans a fuller picture of one of the most famous groups of bird-like predators.
What happened?
According to a report from AZ Animals, the new dinosaur, named Jian changmaensis, is part of the dromaeosaur family, the broader group that also includes velociraptors.
New research from the Annals of the Carnegie Museum, cited by AZ Animals, suggests it was a four-winged glider and may have fed on some of the earliest birds.
Researchers reported the new animal after discovering an upper arm bone from China's Changma Basin that did not belong to any previously unknown microraptor species. The specimen is estimated to be about 120 to 124 million years old.
Its name combines a reference to Changma, the location it was found, with "Jian," a winged creature from Chinese mythology.
Although the fossil was uncovered in 2008, it was not until a more detailed 2026 analysis that researchers realized it may be the Changma Basin's first known non-avian dinosaur.
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Illustrator Lewis LaRosa (@lewislarosa) said he was "honored to draw the first recon of Jian changmaensis" and shared his depictions of the dinosaur on Instagram.
Why does it matter?
According to AZ Animals, typical microraptors are often compared with modern crows, but this one appears to have been substantially larger, suggesting the group may have been more diverse than previously understood.
Rather than flying like a modern bird, Jian likely traveled by gliding, more like a flying squirrel. Long feathers on its arms and legs would have given it a four-winged look, offering another clue to the many experiments with flight during the age of dinosaurs.
The remains also help scientists understand the prehistoric food chain. Bone pellets found at the site suggest Jian may have hunted early birds, indicating that even some of the earliest avian species had airborne or tree-dwelling predators to avoid.
Jingmai O'Connor of the Field Museum, senior author of the study, said the animal was unusual.
"Jian is one of the biggest microraptor specimens that has ever been found," O'Connor said in a press release reported by AZ Animals.
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