Colors of Dinosaur Feathers Identified

Science Daily: Color of Dinosaur Feathers Identified.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 28, 2010) — The colour of some feathers on dinosaurs and early birds has been identified for the first time, reports a paper recently published in Nature.

The research found that the theropod dinosaur Sinosauropteryx had simple bristles -- precursors of feathers -- in alternate orange and white rings down its tail, and that the early bird Confuciusornis had patches of white, black and orange-brown colouring. Future work will allow precise mapping of colours and patterns across the whole bird.