There are certain birds that cannot fly, this is because they have evolved in such a way that they have lost their ability to take flight, the good thing is that they have adapted to the environment where they live to survive, that is why in this post we will talk about the flightless birds and all its features.
What are the birds that do not fly?
When we talk about birds, the first thing that comes to mind are animals with wings that allow them to fly anywhere, but the reality is that there are many birds that, despite having wings, have left behind their ability to fly. They are animals with very different characteristics from each other, that is to say that they have different sizes, different origins and that they only share the fact that they cannot fly.
Despite having gone through a process of evolution, these species have wings, however, they are not capable of flying and one of the differences that these flightless birds have in reference to those that can do it are the bones of their wings, which are very small compared to those of birds that do fly.
There is also the reduction or lack of the keel bone, which is located in the chest and helps them develop to be able to have strong and large muscles, this in turn will help them when using the wings during the flight.
flightless birds They are similar to the others, however they have some qualities of their own that distinguish them from the others. Today's flightless birds come from some species of birds that could fly in ancient times, but for reasons of survival, these animals had to evolve in order to adapt to the environment in which they developed.
Another reason why these birds gave up their ability to fly is that there were no predators in the environment that developed, so over time, flying became something unnecessary and that they did not do frequently, in addition to that spend a lot of energy unnecessarily, an example of these are the species of birds that are common in some islands very far from continental territories, places where predatory animals did not arrive.
Some other species had gained greater size than they had in prehistoric times, in order to be able to hunt their prey, that means that with greater size and more weight, flying became a very difficult task for these species, although not all flightless birds They are big, there are also some small ones.
Currently there is much research on these species, however, there is no unified agreement in which it can be determined when these flying species became non-flying, although it is believed that it may have been in the Tertiary Cretaceous and it should be noted that the Fossil finds have shown that in the Miocene many of these species already had characteristics equal to those observed today.
Characteristics of Flightless Birds
There are several birds that do not fly and that have evolved from flying species, but in places where there are no predators and they have learned to move on land or in the water, which are activities that do not require as much energy as flying, which is why whose wings have atrophied to the point of becoming flightless birds
Each of these species has its unique qualities and particularities, however, many of these have some common traits that they share with all other flightless birds, among the common characteristics of these animals we can find the following:
- Their wings have smaller, heavier, and more massive bones than those of flying birds.
- They adapted to swimming and running.
- They do not have a keel on their chest, this bone helps them in the development of their muscles and allows flying birds to take flight.
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- They have a very abundant plumage, because they do not need to minimize their weight.
- It should be noted that most flightless birds have subsisted in very remote environments (although not in all cases), as is the case with ostriches or emus.
Examples of birds that do not fly
Among the most representative species of this type of flightless bird, we can find the following:
Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
This is a flightless bird but it can run a lot, it is the world's largest bird and the heaviest that exists, it can weigh 180 kilograms, although most of them do not reach 2 meters in height and currently can only be found in Africa.
These birds do not have teeth, and they can hardly move their tongue, which makes it extremely difficult to chew their food, which is why they swallow whatever size they find in the environment.
Thanks to its inability to fly, this species developed great speed when running, it can even reach about 90 kilometers per hour and its wings give it momentum when they run, not only in that they are useful since with them they hit their predators to defend themselves, these birds are herbivorous and will also feed on carrion if the opportunity arises.
Rhea (Rhea Americana or Rhea Pennata)
This is a flightless bird very similar to the ostrich, it lives in South America and eats seeds, insects and various reptiles, it can even feed on snakes. The rhea is also an excellent runner, it can reach 80 kilometers per hour, on the other hand, this animal finds it difficult to jump, but it unfolds very well in the water, which is why it is considered to be an excellent swimmer.
Kiwi (Genus Apteryx)
The Kiwi is a very small bird compared to the ostrich and the rhea, it is similar in size to a chicken, there are 5 types of Kiwi and they all live in New Zealand. This animal has a peculiarity and that is that its wings are very small, so much so that they are hardly seen and these are always hidden under its plumage, they are very shy, have nocturnal habits and feed on all kinds of organic substances, both animals like vegetables.
Cassowary
Cassowaries are birds that do not fly, they include three different species and are located in some regions of Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, they live in very rainy forests and mangroves. These birds weigh between 35 and 40 kilos, their plumage is blue or red on the part of their neck and the rest of their body is black or dark brown, they feed on fruits and fungi that find the ground, on smaller animals, such as insects and some small reptiles.
Penguin (Spheniscidae)
Penguins are flightless birds, there are different kinds of penguins despite the fact that all of them are found in the southern hemisphere and where this type of bird can be found most is in Antarctica, because it has the cold temperatures at which they live. are adapted, we can also find them in South America, as well as in southern Australia and New Zealand.
One of the reasons why penguins cannot fly is due to the layer of fat that covers their body under the skin, this helps them withstand the degrees below zero in their habitat, but greatly increases their weight, which prevents them from flying. take flight, however these birds are excellent swimmers and this is the way they use to search for their fish and feed. Unfortunately, there are currently many endangered penguins.
Chickens (Gallus Gallus Domesticus)
Other birds that do not fly are chickens, it is a domestic animal and it is the flightless bird with the largest number of specimens that can exist, it is bred to produce eggs for human consumption, in addition to its meat can also eaten, some studies show that there are currently more than 16 million hens around the world.
There is a great variety of hens, females and males are physically different, since the roosters have a crest that doubles the size of the hen's crest and on the other hand the female is smaller than the roosters, with a thicker plumage. sober and its crest is smaller.
Emu (Dromaius Novaehollandiae)
It is the second largest bird in the world after the ostrich, it is native to Oceania and very common in Australia, it feeds on plants, animals and can weigh 50 kilograms, they have long necks, very small and poorly developed wings, it is a He is a great runner and his legs only have three toes, which is very well adapted to the activity of running.
Currently there is only the common Emu, since the rest of its species are in a state of extinction, the eggs of these birds are really very curious since they are dark green, which helps them hide them from possible predators. .
Southern Steamer Duck (Tachyeres Pteneres)
Although most ducks fly, the truth is that the southern steamer ducks cannot, this flightless bird is found in South America, more specifically towards the archipelago of Tierra del Fuego. This species is an excellent swimmer, spending most of its life in the water and feeding on fish and molluscs.
Titicaca Grebe (Rollandia Microptera)
This is a species found in Peru and Bolivia, its habitat is in Lake Titicaca, near other rivers and lagoons. Its wings are very small and do not allow the animal to take flight.
Campbell's Teal (Anas Nesiotis)
It is a flightless bird endemic to the Campbell Islands, located in the south of New Zealand. A curious fact is that there is little information about this bird, such as the fact that it is in danger of extinction due to natural phenomena that affect the island. and the introduction of other species in their natural habitat, it is estimated that there are only between 100 and 200 specimens.
Dodo (Raphus cucullatus)
Flightless and now extinct bird, it was an indigenous species to the Mauritius Islands, located in the Indian Ocean and separated from Madagascar by less than 1.000 kilometers.
This bird became extinct in the XNUMXth century and is one of the Animals extinct by man, because they introduced other species of animals such as pigs, dogs, or cats to that island, which resulted in these species attacking the dodos, who were animals that had never before had any contact with human beings, so So they were not aware of the danger they were running.
