Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-29195016-20160724182401/@comment-24264679-20170618051221

She either learned it or was born with it. People like Red was born as a werewolf while people like Cora could use tranformation magic to accomplish things.

When Cora transformed into Blue she gained Wings and the ability to fly. I would assume ot would be the same if she was to transform into a dragon. The same way Zeleena turned people into flying Monkey's.

Maleficent probably perfected the spells over centuries. Porbably combined Tranhsformation magic with a spell similar to the one Lily used to transform into a Fairy.