Family tree of flight

How a burst of colour in dinosaurs hints at how birds evolved: Sudden change suggests feathered arms soon developed into wings 

The first birds evolved after the feathers of a group of dinosaurs received a burst of colour, a study shows. 
Research has found that, as well as giving birds their appearance, the pigment chemicals in feathers readied their dinosaur ancestors for flight. 
These same chemicals may have helped change the metabolism of early birds so they could stay in the air during flight.

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