< New Latin (1872) < Greek ichthy- ichthy- ( def. ) + órnis “bird”
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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
By contrast, the toothed upper jaw in Ichthyornis “is very large, and comparable to what you see in a dinosaur like Velociraptor,” Field says.
From National Geographic ● May 2, 2018
There can be little doubt that Ichthyornis was aquatic in its habits, and that it lived principally upon fishes; but its powerful wings at the same time indicate that it was capable of prolonged flight.
From The Ancient Life History of the Earth A Comprehensive Outline of the Principles and Leading Facts of Palæontological Science by Nicholson, Henry Alleyne
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