A new fossil study of a flightless dinosaur bird, called the Archaeopteryx, has found the creature had feathers on its body that appeared to only have a decorative purpose.

According to Discovery News, the Archaeopteryx had feathers before birds began using them for flying. The study, published in the journal Nature, describes a fossil with well-preserved feathers.

"For the first time, it has become possible to examine the detailed structure of the feathers on the body, the tail and, above all, on the legs," study co-author Oliver Rauhut, a paleontologist in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at LMU Munich, said in a press release. In the case of this new specimen, the feathers are, for the most part, preserved as impressions in the rock matrix."

Archaeopteryx was covered entirely in feathers similar to quills, but its hind wings were symmetrical, a clear sign the bird could not fly. 60 percent of its tail's length came from the tail feathers. Though the Archaeopteryx could not fly it exhibited precursor signs to flight, such as the feathers that covered their bodies, which resemble those of modern birds.

"The excellent preservation of the feathers in the new specimen helps to clarify many contentious issues," Rauhut told Discovery News. "The specimen not only shows the wing and tail feathers in great detail, but also body plumage and feathers along the hind limbs... (which are) similar to the feather 'trousers' found in many modern birds of prey.

"There are a number of indications that Archaeopteryx was capable of aerial locomotion, but just how well it could fly remains debated."

Since the Archaeopteryx did not use their feathers to fly, they probably served to warm the dino-bird and help it disguise itself. However, the researchers said the bird's tail feathers were certainly used for display purposes.

"It is even possible that the ability to fly evolved more than once within the theropods," Rauhut said in the release. "Since the feathers were already present, different groups of predatory dinosaurs and their descendants, the birds, could have exploited these structures in different ways."