Caihong juji

† Caihong juji ('rainbow with a big crest') was a small, feathered dromaeosaurid-grade theropod from the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of China. Remarkable for preserving evidence of iridescent hummingbird-like plumage coloration in fossilized melanosomes, it possessed an elaborate bony head crest and asymmetric flight feathers on its hind limbs as well as its forelimbs. Its discovery advanced understanding of plumage evolution and aerodynamic experimentation in early paravian theropods.