Birds: birds of the late Cretaceous

By the late Cretaceous period, a number of different bird species were established around the ancient world. Hesperornis or 'western bird' was a 4-5ft long flightless bird, and skeletons of this animal have been found in Kansas and Alberta, Canada. This fish-eating bird had large, possibly webbed feet and may have been a good swimmer and diver.

Ichthyornis or 'fish bird' was an 8 inch to 1ft long bird of the Cretaceous period that dived to catch fish. Unlike its contemporary Hesperornis, Ichthyornis could probably fly and had long wings. It had teeth in its jaws, unlike modern birds. Remains of Ichthyornis have been found in Kansas, USA.

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