One of the most well-known flightless birds today is the penguin.
Flightless birds are a small group of birds that naturally are unable to fly; notable ones include penguins, kiwis, ostrich and emus. Many swim, while some run.
Two key differences between flying and flightless birds are the smaller wing bones of flightless birds and the very small keel on their breastbone. The keel anchors muscles needed for wing movement. Flightless birds also have more and different types of feathers than flying birds.
The most ancient living bird species, the Paleognathae, are all flightless and generally adapted to running. Other flightless birds, such as penguins, belong to the clade Neognathae and are the descendants of flying birds that gradually lost the ability to fly.
New Zealand[]
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 predators in New Zealand; the main predators of flightless birds were larger birds. Because of this, Many flightless birds have became extinct; most notably the Dodo.
List of recent flightless birds[]
The following are flightless birds during or after the Holocene period.
Ratites[]
- Ostrich
- Emu
- Kangaroo Island Emu (extinct)
- King Island Emu (extinct)
- Cassowaries
- Moa (extinct)
- Elephant birds (extinct)
- Kiwis
- Rheas
Podicipediformes (Grebes)[]
- Junin Flightless Grebe
- Titicaca Flightless Grebe
- Atitlán Grebe (extinct, reportedly flightless [Hunter 1988])
Pelicaniformes (Pelicans, Cormorants, et al)[]
- Flightless Cormorant
- Spectacled Cormorant (extinct)
Sphenisciformes (Penguins)[]
- Penguins
Coraciiformes (Kingfishers, Hornbills, et al)[]
- Giant Hoopoe (extinct)
Anseriformes (Waterfowl)[]
- Moa-nalos (extinct)
- Magellanic Flightless Steamer Duck
- Falkland Flightless Steamer Duck
- White-headed Flightless Steamer Duck
- Auckland Island Teal
- Campbell Island Teal
Ciconiiformes (Herons, Ibis)[]
- Réunion Sacred Ibis (extinct)
Gruiformes (Cranes, Rails)[]
- Cuban Flightless Crane (extinct)
- 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
- Tasmanian Native-hen
Charadriiformes (Gulls, Terns, Auks)[]
- Great Auk (extinct)
- Diving Puffin (extinct)
Psitticiformes (Parrots)[]
- Kakapo
- Broad-billed Parrot (extinct)
Columbiformes (Pigeons, Doves)[]
- Dodo (extinct)
- Rodrigues Solitaire (extinct)
- Viti Levu Giant Pigeon (extinct)
Caprimulgiformes (Nightjars)[]
- New Zealand Owlet-nightjar (extinct)
Passeriformes (Perching Birds)[]
- Stephens Island Wren (extinct)