What Color Were Dinosaurs?

In 2010, two papers came out a week apart describing the color patterns of two dinosaurs, Anchiornis and Sinosauropteryx. Anchiornis huxleyi showed vibrant red hues in its head feathers and black-and-white patterning on its wings. Sinosauropteryx was shown to have a brilliant chestnut hue with alternating red to white stripes on its tail.

Soon enough, more dinosaurs were labeled with their actual colors. Microraptor, a small winged dinosaur that lived about 120 million years ago, turned out to have iridescent black plumage similar to ravens today. Psittacosaurus, a large dinosaur with horns on its head, turned out to have a rust-red color with a darker back and a lighter belly.