Ichthyornis

American  

[ik-thee-awr-nis] / ˌɪk θiˈɔr nɪs /

noun

1. an extinct genus of toothed birds having vertebrae resembling those of fishes.

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ichthyornis British  

/ ˌɪkθɪˈɔːnɪs /

noun

1. an extinct Cretaceous sea bird of the genus Ichthyornis, thought to have resembled a tern

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Etymology

Origin of Ichthyornis

< New Latin (1872) < Greek ichthy- ichthy- ( def. ) + órnis “bird”

Example Sentences

They suspect the jointed beak was present in even older birds, because the rest of the specimen indicates it was a relative of Ichthyornis, another ancient bird that lived about 20 million years earlier.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 30, 2022

Several skulls of its older Ichthyornis relative have been described in recent years with bones that suggested the bird’s upper palate might have been jointed, but the evidence was still fuzzy.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 30, 2022

The first known fossil of the ancient bird Ichthyornis was unearthed in 1870 in Kansas, under the direction of legendary fossil-hunter Othniel Charles Marsh.

From National Geographic • May 2, 2018

Now, paleontologists have unveiled an extraordinary Ichthyornis skull, along with three partial cranial fossils—the first new skulls of the species to be described in 148 years.

From National Geographic • May 2, 2018

Cuvier was impressed with the reptilian aspect of the teeth; but in later times discoveries were made of Birds with teeth—Archæopteryx, Ichthyornis, Hesperornis.

From Dragons of the Air An Account of Extinct Flying Reptiles by Seeley, H. G.