To be honest, I am not sure what function the feathers have, and I don’t think that you can completely exclude the possibility that the feathers helped the animal to get in the air.” 
 
 Asked what someone might say upon seeing Caihong, University of Texas paleontologist Julia Clarke said, “‘Wow!’ And if they are anything like me, they might want one as a pet. Photographs of the slab (a) and counter slab (b) and line drawing (c) of the specimen based on both slabs. Caihong’s body contour feathers are proportionally longer than those of other known non-avialan theropods2,5,28. Nevertheless, similar feathers have been also reported in Microraptor, a non-avialan theropod nearly 40 million years younger than Caihong28. However, several arm feathers show densely spaced parallel barbs orienting in opposite directions on either side of the rachis, suggesting that these feathers are pennaceous (Fig. For that, paleontologists can only hope for further study of the new fossil, and perhaps even more bones from Caihong and other feathered dinosaurs. 4b), which is also seen the dromaeosaurid Sinornithosaurus38. Rarefaction analyses indicate the structures observed in pinnate feathers of basal paravians are likely to be as diverse as extant bird melanosomes, although this predicted variation is estimated to not yet be fully sampled (Supplementary Figs. Caihong’s feathers had pancake-shaped melanosomes similar to those of hummingbirds with iridescent feathers. a–d Fossilized nanostructures from Caihong feathers preserved as molds in a neck feather (a) and three-dimensional preservation in a neck feather, with SEM stage rotated 45° to show 3D platelet morphology (b), a back feather with SEM stage at 0° (c) and a neck feather showing nanostructure packing (d); e Anna’s hummingbird (Calypte anna) showing overlapping melanosomes within a feather barbule; f white-tailed starfrontlet (Coeligena phalerata) showing stacking and interior morphology (air bubbles) of melanosomes in a feather barbule; g black-tailed trainbearer (Lesbia victoriae) showing exterior surface and morphology of isolated melanosomes in a feather barb; h moustached treeswift (Hemiprocne mystacea) showing densely packed melanosomes in the barbule of a crown feather.
– Scientists are now saying there may have been "a more colorful Jurassic World than we previously imagined," thanks to the recent discovery of a fossil in China's Hebei province. Reuters reports that a closer look at the "exquisitely preserved," almost completely intact fossil of a crow-like dinosaur that lived about 161 million years ago revealed that Caihong juji had luminous, brilliantly hued feathers that closely resembled those of hummingbirds. The study in the journal Nature Communications documenting the find explains that "Caihong" means "rainbow" in Mandarin. Scientists think the colorful plumage, which appeared to have covered the bony-crested creature's head, neck, and chest areas, may have kept the dinosaur warm, as well as attracted potential mates; National Geographic compares it to peacock feathers. So how were researchers able to tell what color feathers the creature had from preserved bones? They used high-tech microscopes able to home in on 66 sites on the fossil, detecting tiny cell structures called melanosomes, which underlie pigmentation. Which colors they led to can be found by their shapes, and the melanosomes in Caihong were long and flat like pancakes—similar to those found in hummingbirds, which boast iridescent plumage. Although they can't pick out from the Pantone wheel Caihong's exact colors, researchers say the creature likely sported feathers with a "rainbow glimmer." Study co-author Xing Zu tells National Geographic that Caihong was a predator that spent its days gliding from tree to tree. And "glide" is the operative word, as this dinosaur likely didn't fly: Its feathers were located on its tail, not on its wings like birds, Discover notes. (A study postulated that nearly all dinosaurs had feathers.)