There are many flightless birds in the world, and you might have seen quite a few of them in real life.Flightless birds were once ordinary birds that lost the ability to fly through evolution. There are currently over 60 species of birds that have lost the ability to fly, including ostriches, rheas, emu, kiwi, and penguins.While the Common Ostrich is the largest bird known to be flightless, smaller ones like domestic chickens and domestic ducks are considered flightless birds. Although the ancestral species of domestic duck and domestic chicken, Mallard and Red Junglefowl, were once able to fly for extended periods. Many species of birds, through selective breeding, have lost the ability for flight as their weight became too heavy for them to control their wings. There were even some species of flightless birds that evolved to be fearless terrestrial predators.Whenever you think of birds, only flying birds will come to mind. That is just human nature to think that way. Some birds evolved, however, for their benefit. Some birds literally cannot fly or have wings, and some have wings with fewer feathers and more fluff. Although flightless, these birds can still defend themselves from predators or threats in their habitats due to their adaptive qualities. These birds can’t fly but have special abilities that make you love them anyway.Let us learn about some of these flightless birds. We know that some big birds can’t fly, but did you know that one of the smallest is the Ratite Kiwi? Kiwi birds only come out at night in the forests of New Zealand. The Kakapo (Strigops Habroptilus) is a species of flightless bird also native to New Zealand. The Southern Cassowary (Cassowary Casuarius) is also a flightless bird found in Australia and New Guinea. The Ostrich (Struthio camelus), also known as the Common Ostrich, is the largest bird in the world and is also flightless. Three out of four species of the ferocious steamer duck are flightless. Other flightless birds include White-throated Tinamous, North Island Brown Kiwis, and Adelie Penguins.If you enjoyed this article, why not also read about what do caterpillars eat and birds that eat mosquitoes here on Kidadl?Why are some birds unable to fly even though they have wings?Birds that can’t fly usually have bigger bodies and longer legs than the birds that can fly. The wing bones in Ostrich and the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) are either missing or smaller than their bodies.At first, you might think that wings on flightless birds do not make any sense. Knowing the natural selection among birds, it seems that wings would be unnecessary to their body and even get in the way. But the answer is that these wings may serve a purpose apart from flying. For example, in Ostrich and Emu, the wings help balance while running and are used during their courting dance.In the birds like Ostrich, Emu, Southern Cassowary, Greater Rhea, and New Zealand’s kiwi, the flat breastbones lack the keel that holds together the pectoral muscles needed for flight. The small wings cannot lift the bodies of these birds from the ground. The Kakapo bird is known to have lost the ability to fly around 60 million years ago, while the Ostrich bird lost its flight ability 65 million years ago.Penguins lost the ability to fly because flight has no use in their environment. Penguins live in cold weather, and their flightless wings or limbs give them the extra weight and warmth required in their harsh environment. Geese lose their ability to fly for a period before the southern migration as they molt their primary feathers for new ones simultaneously.Name Some Flightless Bird SpeciesNumerous birds in the world are known for being flightless. Learn more about specific species of flightless birds in the following list.Ostrich: This is a species of bird native to Africa known to be the largest and fastest on land (45 miles per hour).Gentoo Penguin: A flightless bird species found in the Antarctic peninsula.Darwin’s Rhea/Lesser Rhea (Rhea Pennata): A large bird species found in South America.Emu: This is the second-largest bird species and is known to live only in Australia.Guam Rail: The Guam Rail became extinct when it was living in the wild of Guam. Now, the Guam Rail can only be found in the captive breeding facility of the region.South Island Tahake (Porphyrio Hochstetteri): Once native to New Zealand and thought to be extinct, this bird species was rediscovered in the remote Murchison Mountains of New Zealand.Steamer ducks: Three of the species of these ducks are flightless.Flightless Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Harrisi) - This bird species is found on the shores of Galapagos Island. They became flightless as they didn’t need to travel for food or away from predators.Southern Brown Kiwi: Found in the islands of New Zealand known as South Island and Stewart Island, the Southern Brown Kiwi is famous.Kakapo: The Kakapo is also called an Owl Parrot. To save them from predators, these bird species were moved to the three islands of New Zealand, Maud island, Codfish Island, and Little Barrier Islands.Emperor Penguin: They are the tallest of all penguins in the world and live on the Antarctic ice.Southern Cassowary (Casuarius Casuarius): This species is found in the rainforests of Indonesia, New Guinea, and northeastern Australia. The Southern Cassowary is the third largest bird in the world. A Southern Cassowary can attack humans or dogs if provoked.Falkland Steamer Duck (Tachyeres Brachypterus): This duck is native to the Falkland Islands of the Southern Atlantic Ocean. They create a steam-like cloud of spray with their wings while tunning in the water, hence the name.Giant Coot: This is a bird found in South America.Northern Cassowary: They are found in northern New Guinea. The Northern Cassowary is known to kill humans with its dagger-like claws if provoked.What is the only bird that can fly backward?Have you heard of a bird flying backward or upside-down? Yes, hummingbirds can do just that!Hummingbirds are fascinating birds. Unlike other birds, hummingbirds have an extraordinary ball and socket joint at the shoulder that lets the birds rotate the wings 180 degrees in every direction. The long, narrow, and tapered wings allow the hummingbirds to move swiftly and easily in the air. The elbow and shoulder joints of the wings are located very close to the tiny hummingbirds’ bodies and allows for quick action. This works best when needed to turn very fast. The birds move their wings in figure-eight, which enables them to move backward easily in the air. They can do this for any length of time. They can even hover at a place or fly upside-down. The joints make the hummingbirds fly in any direction they want.What happens to birds that can’t fly?Many bird species have lost the ability to fly, and they are perfectly healthy and thriving as they have adapted themselves over time to survive in the world. The perfect example will be of ratites.Kiwis, along with Ostriches and Emus, constitute the group of ratites. Their wings, which were once used for flight, are now used to help the birds balance and enable them to run extremely fast! Only the Tinamous bird of this group has the ability to fly, though in a limited capacity. The birds that lose the ability to fly learn through natural selection to find some other use for the wings that they possess. The Penguin uses its wings to give weight to the body, which helps them during the cold weather by providing warmth. If their body had been lighter and they could have flown, it would have made them incompatible with the climate of their freezing world.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for birds that can’t fly, then why not take a look at what do cockroaches eat or why do dogs howl at night.
There are many flightless birds in the world, and you might have seen quite a few of them in real life.
