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Ichthyornis

Say it: IK-thee-OR-nis

Name means: “fish bird”1

Ate: FishEarly birdsLate Cretaceous

Ichthyornis was a seabird that lived during the time of dinosaurs. It had a beak like a modern gull but also sharp teeth in its jaws. It flew over the huge inland sea that once covered the middle of North America.1 3

Lived

100 to 72 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Alberta and Saskatchewan in Canada; Alabama, California, Kansas, New Mexico, Texas in the USA; also Mexico and Uzbekistan3 1

Food

Fish3 1

Length

0.24 m1

average size of a pigeon

Wingspan

0.43 m1

skeletal wingspan, not including feathers

Artist's life restoration of Ichthyornis — How Ichthyornis may have looked, by El fosilmaníaco. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Scientists still argue about colours and details.

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

Ichthyornis was one of the first prehistoric birds discovered with teeth, and Charles Darwin said it was important for understanding evolution.1

Its backbone bones were shaped like a fish's, which is why it got the name 'fish bird'.1

The beak of Ichthyornis was made of several separate plates, like an albatross's beak, not a single piece like most modern birds.1

Ichthyornis lived between about 93 and 83.5 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period.1

Over time, Ichthyornis grew larger: older fossils have a wing bone about 58 mm long, while younger ones have a wing bone about 71.5 mm long.1

Its teeth were curved backward and set in a groove, similar to those of marine reptiles like mosasaurs.1

Ichthyornis is one of the closest extinct relatives of modern birds, helping scientists learn how today's birds evolved.1

Myth buster

Myth: Ichthyornis is sometimes thought to be a dinosaur like T. rex.

Truth: Ichthyornis is a bird, not a non-avian dinosaur. It belongs to the group Avialae, which includes modern birds and their extinct relatives.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Ichthyornis
Named by: Marsh 18723
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Ichthyornithes3
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae3
Age of the rocks: 100 to 72 million years (Cenomanian to Campanian)3
Rock formations: Niobrara, Mooreville Chalk, Belle Fourche3
Countries: USA, Canada, Uzbekistan, Mexico3
Fossil records: 33 in the Paleobiology Database3
Also known as: Angelinornis, Colonosaurus, Plegadornis (older names now counted as the same animal)3
Discovery: Ichthyornis was named by American paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in 1872. At first, Marsh thought the toothed jaws belonged to a marine reptile, but later in 1873 he realized they were part of the bird.1 2
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether the species should be called Ichthyornis dispar or Ichthyornis anceps, because of naming rules.1

Where the facts come from

Ichthyornis (en.wikipedia.org)
Ichthyornis | Cretaceous period, seabird, toothed beak (britannica.com)
Ichthyornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.