Feathers and 'feather-like' integumentary structures in Liaoning birds and dinosaurs

2006/01/01 by Zhang Fucheng, Zhonghe Zhou, Gareth J. Dyke +3 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · Psychology · #Anatomy #Avian ecology and behavior #Biology #Categorization, perception, and language #Cretaceous #Ecology #Evolution and Paleontology Studies #Evolutionary biology #Extant taxon #Feather #Integumentary system #Iridescence #Mesozoic #Paleontology #Paleontology and Evolutionary Biology #Plant and Fungal Species Descriptions #Zoology

paper · doi:10.1002/gj.1057

openalex publication_date 2006/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/02

Abstract

We provide an overview of the known feather and other ‘feather-like’ integumentary structure types known to-date in the birds and dinosaurs from the Cretaceous rocks of Liaoning, NE China. These feather-types are classified and compared with similar structures seen in Mesozoic and extant birds. We consider that integumentary feathers and ‘feather-like’ structures fall within two major structural categories (‘shafted’ and ‘non-shafted’). Comments are also made on the possible aerodynamic or insulating function of leg and tail feathers in Mesozoic birds and theropods.

Citations

• Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China
• A therizinosauroid dinosaur with integumentary structures from China
• An exceptionally well-preserved theropod dinosaur from the Yixian Formation of China
• Four-winged dinosaurs from China
• A Primitive Enantiornithine Bird and the Origin of Feathers
• Body plumage in Archaeopteryx: a review, and new evidence from the Berlin specimen
• Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in tyrannosauroids
• A beaked bird from the Jurassic of China
• Do feathered dinosaurs exist? Testing the hypothesis on neontological and paleontological evidence
• Early Adaptive Radiation of Birds: Evidence from Fossils from Northeastern China
• Branched integumental structures in Sinornithosaurus and the origin of feathers
• A new maniraptoran dinosaur from China with long feathers on the metatarsus
• The quality of the fossil record of Mesozoic birds

Cited by

• William Beebe [wikipedia]