Microraptor and Ordosipterus coloring page (English)

This is my free coloring pages blog.

Today, there are two ancient animals from China. 

Since these animals lived in what is now China... I will be posting this in Chinese as well. 

Microraptor and Ordosipterus

This coloring page shows two ancient animals from the Early Cretaceous Period - right after the Jurassic Period ended. The feathered animal is actually a Theropod dinosaur called Microraptor. It had a wingspan of up to 3.3 feet or 1.2 meters. It was unusual because it actually had flying feathers on both its arms and legs. It could flap its wings and fly (AKA powered flight) as well as glide through the forest. It was a Dromaeosaur. Dromaeosaurs were some of the smartest dinosaurs - as measured by brain-to-body ratio. But other Dromaeosaurs were considerably larger than Microraptor. However, Dromaeosaurs were still fairly small raptor dinosaurs. 

Around 300 specimens of Microraptor have been found in China, so we know quite a bit about it. In fact, its fossilized feathers have been chemically analyzed, and we know that it was black and kind of iridescent, like a raven. It had a long, feather-tipped tail that it certainly used as a rudder in flying. Its claws on the wings made it easy to grab hold of branches or tree trunks. It also could climb up and down in the trees. In fact, in this coloring page drawing, the Microraptor is about to land on a branch of a pine tree. Yes, there were conifers like pine trees back then. 

Ordosipterus was an Early Cretaceous Pterosaur, that also lived in what is now China. It was NOT a dinosaur; it was a flying reptile or Pterosaur. It had a wingspan of 9.8 feet, or 3 meters wide. Pterosaurs were spectacular, but they were an evolutionary dead end. None survived the end-Cretaceous extinction caused by the meteorite hitting the Gulf of Mexico. Ordosipterus may have fed on fish... like the ones found in the river in this drawing. 

By the way, there WAS a great uptick in volcanic activity near the boundary of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. That extreme volcanic activity may have led to the mass extinction at the end of the Jurassic Period. That extinction wiped out many species of Sauropods, especially in North America. But remember that this scene is from what is now China. You can see both ash coming out of the volcano and blowing away in the wind, and the lava flowing down the sides of the volcano. This is a small stratovolcano. It is also called a composite volcano. Its sides are made of alternating layers of lava rocks and volcanic ash. 

I should end by saying that Microraptor is more evidence that modern birds are merely Avian Dinosaurs. So, dinosaurs certainly did not all go extinct at the end of the Cretaceous. Dinosaurs are in your backyard!

NOTE: This coloring page is found in printable form by clicking on the button labeled "Paleontology" and then scrolling down to the bottom of the "Mesozoic Life" part of the list of titles. IF you are accessing this site in November or December of 2026, then this title will be at or near the bottom of the list. I am adding a reposting of a Microraptor drawing from a few years ago. In some ways, it is actually a superior drawing. The older coloring page in printable form is found further up the list because newer drawings are at the bottom of the list and older drawings are further up the list. 

Microraptor flying through the Forest