ornithichnite

English

Etymology

ornith- +‎ ichnite.

Noun

ornithichnite (plural ornithichnites)

1. (paleontology) A fossilised footprint left by a bird.
   • 1834 October, Charles Lyell, “On the fossil foot-prints of birds”, in The American Journal of Science, volume 45, page 395:

     Mr. Lyell next visited the red and green shales of Cabotville, north of Springfield in Massachusetts, where some of the best Ornithichnites have been procured, chiefly in the green shale.

   • 1839 January, T.A. Conrad, “Notes on American geology”, in The American Journal of Science and Arts, volume 35, page 246:

     Mr. Hitchcock has nowhere maintained the existence of an ornithichnite in the graywacke of Hudson valley.