rhamphotheca

American  

[ram-fuh-thee-kuh] / ˌræm fəˈθi kə /

noun

1. the horny covering of a bird's bill.

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Etymology

Origin of rhamphotheca

1865–70; < Greek rhámpho ( s ) beak + theca

Example Sentences

We might be looking at the shapes of the skull bones, for example, while lacking the all-important rhamphotheca; likewise for claws where the keratinous sheath is absent or incomplete.

From Scientific American • Jan. 27, 2014

Skull bird-like, except that the short bill cannot have been enclosed in a horny rhamphotheca, since the upper jaw shows a row of 13, the lower jaw 3 conical teeth, all implanted in distinct sockets.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 4 "Aram, Eugene" to "Arcueil" by Various