It is now known that most raptors had feathers. Many fossils of feathered dinosaurs now exist, so feathers long preceded flight as a means to keep the creature warm or as a sexual display or both.
Certain small dinos grew elongated feathers on their arms and legs that may have been used for catching insects or to assist as a kind of air-brake to enable faster cornering while running in pursuit of prey.
These arm feathers became more pronounced and later may have been used by the dino to assist a leap from a tree while being pursued or in fact to catch unsuspecting food passing below. Several 4 winged dinos have been found.
We can then continue until a semi controlled glide became a glide as the feathers and arms evolved into a functional wing. The glide was further augmented by a flapping of the arms. And on and on until we have a creature that for all intents and purposes became a bird.
It's all there in the fossils, they tell their own story. Or did God make several thousand proto-dino-birds along with real birds at Creation just for the hell of it? And why did He fossilise only the proto-dino-birds and the ancestors of todays birds and none of todays birds?
