Most birds can fly, but there are also some flightless species. These all have other ways of escaping from predators. The larger flightless birds, such as ostriches and emus, can run very fast. Penguins cannot fly but can swim and dive at great speed, using their wings as flippers to power them through the water.
Most birds fly. They are only incapable of flight during short periods while they molt, or naturally shed their old feathers for new ones. There are, however, several birds that do not fly, including the African ostrich, the South American rhea, and the emu, kiwi, and cassowary of Australia. The penguins of the Southern Hemisphere are also incapable of air flight. They have feathers and insulation for breeding purposes, but use a different form of motion: their sleek bodies “fly” through the ocean using flipper-like wings. All of these flightless birds have wings, but over millions of years of evolution they have lost the ability to fly, even though they probably descended from flying birds. These species may have lost their ability to fly through the gradual disuse of their wings. Perhaps they became isolated on oceanic islands and had no predators; therefore, they had no need to fly and escape danger. Another possibility is that food became plentiful, eliminating the need to fly long distances in search of food.
No list of flightless birds would be complete without the penguin. All 18 species of penguin are unable to fly, and are in fact better built for swimming and diving, which they spend the majority of their time doing. Their short legs and stocky build give them a distinctive waddling walk. While people tend to associate penguins with Antarctica, most species live in higher latitudes. A few even live in temperate climates, and the Galapagos penguin actually lives at the Equator. These birds are also remarkably romantic—penguins are largely monogamous and seek out the same mates each season, even among the hundreds or even thousands of birds that might live in their colony.
Three out of four species of steamer duck are flightless, but four out of four species should not be messed with. Even within the flighted species, some males are too heavy to actually achieve liftoff. These South American ducks earned their name by running across water and thrashing their wings like the wheels on a steamboat. They use them for other forms of thrashing, too. Famously aggressive, steamer ducks are known to engage in epic, bloody battles with each other over territory disputes. They have even been known to kill waterbirds several times their size.
The Weka is another bird of New Zealand. This brown, chicken-sized bird was an important resource for native New Zealanders and European settlers, but is now decreasing in number. While they may look unremarkable, weka have a loud call that males and females sing as a duet. They’re also known as clever thieves and will steal food and small objects to their liking and make off with them. Weka are skilled swimmers, too.
The kakapo, also known as an “owl parrot” is also a native of New Zealand. This nocturnal parrot has an owl’s face, penguin’s stance, and duck’s gait. It is truly a strange bird—but also a beautiful one, with bright green-brown feathers. It can grow up to 2 feet in length, and is the world’s heaviest parrot. The males make a distinctive booming call that sounds like a one-bird jug band, which can be heard up to half a mile away!
The cassowary is a bird you don’t want to mess with. This giant bird, a native of Australia and the surrounding islands, is in the heavyweight class. The only bird heavier is the ostrich. As if that isn’t enough, the cassowary sports a wicked daggerlike claw that can grow up to 4 inches long on the middle toe of each foot —and they’ve been known to kill humans. If deadly power isn’t your thing, though, you can still admire the cassowary’s style. These birds sport colorful helmets, or casques, made of keratin (like human fingernails). And their plush back feathers kind of look like glamorous fur capes.
Picture Credit : Google