Caihong Facts
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.4m |
| Length | 0.4m |
| Weight | 475 g |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | China |

| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.4m |
| Length | 0.4m |
| Weight | 475 g |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | China |
Caihong was a remarkable small theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 161.5 million years ago in what is now northeastern China. This crow-sized predator represents one of the most important discoveries in our understanding of feather evolution and dinosaur coloration, as it preserves evidence of iridescent plumage similar to modern hummingbirds.
Measuring just 40 centimetres in length, Caihong was a member of the paravian theropods, a group closely related to birds. Its body was covered in feathers of different types, including simple filaments and more complex pennaceous feathers. The most extraordinary feature was its tail, which bore asymmetrical flight feathers arranged in a fan-like display structure rather than for actual flight.
As a carnivore, Caihong likely hunted small prey such as insects, early mammals, and possibly fish near ancient lakes and rivers. Its sharp teeth and grasping claws were well-suited for catching and processing small animals. The dinosaur's long legs suggest it was an active, ground-dwelling predator that could move quickly through its forest environment.
Living in the lush, temperate forests of ancient China, Caihong inhabited a world very different from today's landscapes. The climate was warm and humid, supporting diverse plant communities and a rich ecosystem of early dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and primitive mammals.
Caihong possessed a remarkable bony crest on its skull and asymmetrical feathers on its tail that displayed rainbow-like iridescent colours. Its plumage included both simple filaments covering most of its body and more complex pennaceous feathers, particularly on the tail which formed a fan-like display structure.
Caihong likely used its iridescent tail feathers for visual communication and courtship displays, much like modern peacocks or birds-of-paradise. As an active predator, it would have spent much of its time foraging on the ground for small prey, using its keen eyesight and quick reflexes to catch insects and small vertebrates.
Caihong was first described by Dongyu Hu and colleagues in 2018. The original fossils were discovered at Tiaojishan Formation, Liaoning Province, China.