New Shades for a Dinobird's Feathers
Archaeopteryx's plumage had light and dark patterns that benefited the bird.
The Archaeopteryx, which lived around 150 million years ago and was a mixture of bird traits (notably feathers) and reptile traits (teeth, claws on its wings), was previously thought to have black feathers. But a new analysis of three Archaeopteryx fossils has revealed that the ancient bird's feathers were in fact light in color, with a dark edge and tips.
The distinct black-and-white patterns on the bird's plumage are comparable to the pigmentation of a magpie, said study co-author Roy Wogelius, a geochemist at the University of Manchester.
"This creature was actually doing very well in terms of evolutionary state. It already has a key adaptation that we see in many modern species of bird," said study leader and
