The Ichthyornithes were a group of Ornithure birds that were very successful in the Chalk, but at the end of that era along with many other forms, among others, the Dinosaurs disappeared.
The Ichthyornithes are compared to the oak, the sailors and the penguins because they had the same way of life. They were excellent divers, who fished in the open sea on fish. However, they still had a beak full of teeth and were not related to the later seabirds.
The best known species is Ichthyornis dispar. How Ichthyornis looks is well known due to fossils found in Kansas, Alberta and Texas. The animal had the construction of the modern tern with a larger head and beak. The teeth already mentioned were of course different. Ichthyornis had a large breastbone, the place where the wing muscles attached to birds, indicating that it was a good kite. Compared to his contemporaries, Ichthyornis was a very modern bird. Probably this animal lived in groups along the shore and fed with fish, with the teeth as an extra grip well suited for catching. A few years ago, a fossil was found in Limburg of an Ichthyornis-related bird, which is now exhibited in the Natural History Museum in Maastricht. Also see
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