Dinosaur 'Birds' Glided Rather Than Flew Like Modern Birds, Fossil Analysis Suggests

By: Live Science Staff Published: 11/23/2012 10:10 AM EST on LiveScience Some of the first birdlike creatures to emerge during the age of the dinosaurs probably couldn't get their heavy wings to take them off the ground, and they likely opted for gliding over flying, new research shows. Modern flying birds have a single primary layer of easily separated long feathers covered with short ones — a design that helps them overcome drag when taking flight. A new analysis of the fossils of two o...