Microraptor gui feathered gliding dinosaur, illustration. This gliding dinosaur, with feathers on all four limbs, lived in the Early Cretaceous about 120 million years ago. This tiny dinosaur was only about 70 centimetres long. It is classified as a member of the dromaeosaurid family. Its discovery provides evidence that birds evolved from a gliding ancestor, rather than a fast-running ground-dweller. However, it may not be a direct ancestor of modern birds.