Ichthyornis dispar

Ichthyornis dispar is of the order of animals known as Ichthyornithiformes . It lived in the Late Cretaceous in North America around the area of Kansas and Texas. It was first discovered in 1870, when the jaws of this bird were thought to belong to a mosasaur (a fish-eating marine lizard), since mosasaurs had similiar jaws and teeth to those of Ichthyornis.

Ichthyornis dispar and others in its genus were similar in overall form to a modern sea tern, but with a larger head and bill. The large sternum suggests that it was capable of strong flight.