Flightless bird

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Flightless birds evolved from flying ancestors; there are about forty species in existence today. The best-known flightless birds are the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea and penguins. Most flightless birds evolved in the absence of predators, on islands, and lost the power of flight because they had few enemies. A notable exception, the ostrich, which lives in the African savannas, has claws on its feet to use as a weapon against predators.

Two key differences between flying and flightless birds are the smaller wing bones of flightless birds and the absent (or greatly reduced) keel on their breastbone. The keel anchors muscles needed for wing movement[1]. Flightless birds also have more feathers than flying birds.

New Zealand has more species of flightless birds (including the kiwis, several species of penguins, and the takahe) than any other country. One reason is that until the arrival of humans roughly 1000 years ago, there were no land mammals in New Zealand other than three species of bat; the main predators of flightless birds were larger birds[2].

Some flightless variety of island birds are closely related to flying varities, impling flight is a signifcant biological cost.

With the introduction of mammals (among them humans) to the habitats of flightless birds, many have become extinct, including the Great Auk, the Dodo, and the Moas.

The smallest flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island Rail (length 12.5 cm, weight 34.7 g). The largest (both heaviest and tallest) flightless bird, which is also the largest living bird, is the Ostrich (2.7 m, 156 kg)[3].

Flightless birds are the easiest to take care of in captivity because they do not have to be caged. Ostriches were once farmed for their decorative feathers. Today they are raised for meat and for their skins, which are used to make leather.

1 List of recent flightless birds
2 See also
3 Reference

[edit] List of recent flightless birds

[edit] Ratites

Ostrich
Emu
Kangaroo Island Emu (extinct)
King Island Emu (extinct)
Cassowaries
Moas (extinct)
Elephant birds (extinct)
Kiwis
Rheas

[edit] Grebes

Junin Flightless Grebe
Titicaca Flightless Grebe

[edit] Pelican-like birds

Flightless Cormorant

[edit] Petrel-like birds

Penguins

[edit] Duck-like birds

Moa-nalos (extinct)
Magellanic Flightless Steamer Duck
Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck
White-headed Flightless Steamer Duck
Auckland Island Teal
Campbell Island Teal

[edit] Rails and relatives

Red Rail (extinct)
Rodrigues Rail (extinct)
Woodford's Rail (probably flightless)
Bar-winged Rail (extinct, probably flightless)
Weka
New Caledonian Rail
Lord Howe Woodhen
Calayan Rail
New Britain Rail
Guam Rail
Roviana Rail ("flightless, or nearly so" [Taylor (1998])
Tahiti Rail (extinct)
Dieffenbach's Rail (extinct)
Chatham Rail (extinct)
Wake Island Rail (extinct)
Snoring Rail
Inaccessible Island Rail
Laysan Rail (extinct)
Hawaiian Rail (extinct)
Kosrae Island Crake (extinct)
Henderson Island Crake
Invisible Rail
New Guinea Flightless Rail
Lord Howe Swamphen (extinct, probably flightless)
North Island Takahe (extinct)
Takahe
Samoan Wood Rail
Makira Wood Rail
Tristan Moorhen (extinct)
Gough Island Moorhen
Adzebills (extinct)
Kagu

[edit] Gulls and relatives

Great Auk (extinct)

[edit] Parrots

Kakapo

[edit] Doves and relatives

Dodo (extinct)
Rodrigues Solitaire (extinct)
Viti Levu Giant Pigeon (extinct)

[edit] Songbirds

Stephens Island Wren (extinct)

[edit] See also

Extinct birds
Ratite

[edit] Reference

Taylor, Barry (1998). Rails: A Guide to the Rails, Crakes, Gallinules and Coots of the World. Yale University Press. ISBN 0-300-07758-0.

Category: Flightless birds