Flightless Bird |
Flightless Bird | 20 Bird Of The World That Can Never Fly
Friends, today we are going to know about 20 birds of the world which have wings but cannot fly. These birds are very beautiful and cute in appearance. If you love birds or are interested in knowing about the life and behavior of birds, then you have come to the right place. There are more than 57 species of birds found on this earth which do not have the ability to fly.
These bird species remain on the ground for their entire life. These birds cannot fly or even if they do not know the joy of flying, but these magnificent birds have gained some advantages on the ground. Let us know about these birds which cannot fly.
1. Penguins
Penguins |
This bird named Penguin is large in appearance but these birds cannot fly because they do not have the ability to fly and neither can they dance. The special thing about these birds is that they are good at swimming in water. Not only this, penguins are capable of staying under water for 30 minutes. In penguin swimming, their speed is fast, about 4 to 22 miles per hour.
2. Auckland Teal
Auckland Teal |
Auckland Teal is a type of duck that cannot fly and these ducks are found on islands where there are no predators. The feathers of Auckland Teal are brown in color and there is a green spot on their neck. Auckland Teal has white eyes and their feathers are of small size.
3. Lord Howe Woodhen
Lord Howe Woodhen |
Lord Howe woodhen is a member of a bird family and Lord Howe woodhen is a highly endangered species but Lord Howe woodhen definitely tries to live life. Lord Howe woodhen birds keep only one partner in their entire lifetime. Lord Howe woodhen birds are very territorial by nature.
4. Broad Breasted White turkey
Broad Breasted White turkey |
Broad Breasted White turkey is the flightless bird with the longest name in the list of birds and it is a broad breasted white bird. The inability of Broad Breasted White turkey to fly is due to their selective breeding system and these birds are overweight due to which these birds suffer from health problems. Read- Aracari Toucan | Long-Beak Bird Of The Amazon Rainforest
5. Steamer Duck
Steamer Duck |
There are about 4 species of steamer duck in the world, but none of them can fly due to their DYRK1A gene. The interesting thing is that these ducks can chase away predators despite being flightless.
6. Common ostrich
Common ostrich |
This giant sized bird is the largest flightless bird in the world and a large bird of their species can weigh about 131 kg. Weighing 131 kg which definitely makes it impossible for an ostrich to fly.
These large birds have long legs that help them run at a speed of 43 miles per hour. Their flightless state is a result of their evolution as long ago the ancestors of the ostrich preferred to live on the ground rather than fly.
7. Takahe
Takahe |
Takahe is a type of bird species that does not have the ability to fly. This species of birds have short wings, long legs and claws which make these birds capable of living on the ground throughout their lives.
8. Scytalopus
Scytalopus |
These are birds that live in mountainous areas and cannot fly but are fast in running. Scytalopus are more robust with short tails and brown to black feathers. These small birds are hardly visible in dense vegetation due to their running speed. Due to which the risk of extinction of Scytalopus is reduced.
9. Kiwi Bird
Kiwi Bird |
The main reason for Kiwi birds being unable to fly is their one-inch wings and these birds prefer to live on islands because there were no predators in these parts in earlier times. So the ancestors of the Kiwi bird decided that their wings were of no use.
But in the present time these islands are now populated by humans due to which the population of Kiwi birds has declined. The reason for the decline in their population is the increase in the number of mammals and new predators in their natural habitat. Read- Magpie Bird Fun Facts About The Intelligent Bird
10. Cassowary
Cassowary |
These birds have a distinctive blue head and neck and the Cassowary has a huge body which certainly makes flying quite difficult. Cassowaries have a beautiful and attractive head and may look terrifying to some. But at one time Cassowaries were known as the most dangerous bird in the world.
11. Emu
Emu |
One of the amazing flightless birds is the emu bird and these birds are close relatives of the ostrich but are not as big as their cousins. Emu have slightly blue heads and can grow up to 6 feet in length. Apart from this, emu birds are extremely protective of their family.
12. Brown Mesite
Brown Mesite |
Brown Mesite are flightless birds and they like to live in crowded areas of the forest. Brown Mesite have the ability to hide themselves due to their brown feathers. Brown Mesite mostly prefer to stay hidden that may be the reason why they do not fly. But certainly the body of Brown Mesite makes these birds flightless.
13. Flightless cormorant
Flightless cormorant |
Among the bird species found in the world, some birds mostly cannot fly because they have lost that power and flightless cormorants are one of these birds. For birds to fly, their wings must be three times larger. Apart from this, the chest bone of the birds is not fully developed which is necessary for flight. But the interesting thing is that these birds are expert in swimming in water.
14. Giant Coot
Giant Coot |
Giant Coots are huge in size and thick. Therefore, these birds cannot fly and this bird species is native to South America. Giant Coots are known to build nests on water and reuse the nest. The special thing is that young birds in these birds can fly but when they grow up, they lose that ability due to their huge body size.
15. Guam Rail
Guam Rail |
This bird species named Guam Rail is very good and fast in running but this species cannot fly despite its small body. These birds are threatened by their primary predator and their predator is snakes. Guam Rail This bird species is classified as critically endangered but efforts are being made to conserve it.
16. Titicaca Grebe
Titicaca Grebe |
If you are looking for more information about which birds cannot fly in the bird species, then you must know about Titicaca Grebe. These birds have short wings and a dark belly and even though these birds are flightless birds, they are extraordinary because they are known to go to very deep depths in the sea.
17. kakapo
kakapo |
Kakapo This parrot is also known as owl parrot and it is a flightless bird. There are less than 200 of these birds left in the world. The most special thing about Kakapo is that these birds have a musky but sweet smell.
18. Fuegian steamer duck
Fuegian steamer duck |
Magellanic steamer duck This is also a flightless bird species and it is mostly known as Fuegian steamer duck. Magellanic steamer ducks like to live in coastal areas and they are quite large in size. The Magellanic steamer duck can weigh up to 6.800 kg, which makes it difficult to fly. But the wings of the Magellanic steamer duck are perfect for paddling.
19. Henderson Crack
Henderson Crack |
Henderson Crake These flightless birds have long and orange legs. They have dark colored feathers. Henderson Crake These flightless birds live on an island where most of the plastic waste is accumulated.
20. Moorhen
Moorhen |
Moorhen These bird species have evolved on an island called Tristan da Cunha. But in the 19th century the population of Moorhen was wiped out and a new breed of them developed from Gough Island. Moorhen are flightless birds and are not able to fly due to their heavy body and short wings but these birds are considered good at traveling from one island to another.
Flightless Bird Facts For Kids
1. What are the top 10 flightless birds?
1. Penguins, 2. Auckland teal, 3. Lord Howe woodhen, 4. Broad Breasted White turkey, 5. Steamer duck, 6. Common ostrich, 7. Takahe, 8. Scytalopus, 9. Kiwi Bird, 10. Cassowary
2. Which birds are called flightless birds?
Flightless birds are those birds that do not have the ability to fly but they depend on the ability to run or swim. Today there are about 57 species of flightless birds in existence in which ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea, kiwi and penguin are the most famous birds.
3. Is Kiwi a flightless bird?
Yes, Kiwi is a flightless bird and it is any of the 5 species of flightless birds that belong to the genus Apteryx. This flightless bird species is found in New Zealand. Also, the name is a Maori word that refers to the shrill call of the male bird. Kiwi are brown birds in appearance and are about the size of a chicken.
4. Which bird cannot fly?
Penguins, rheas, ostriches and emus are all well-known examples of birds that are flightless but there are many others that cannot fly.
5. Which is Darwin's flightless bird?
Darwin's flightless bird rheas are ratites. Ratites are a group of flightless birds and include ostriches, emus, cassowaries, kiwis and Darwin's rheas.
6. Which is the rarest flightless bird?
There are many species of birds in the world that cannot fly but with an owl-like face, penguin-like posture and duck-like gait, the Kakapo is one of the strangest and rarest birds to see.
7. Which is the most powerful flightless bird?
Emperor penguins found in Antarctica are flightless birds and no list of flightless birds would be complete without penguins.
8. Why do birds become flightless?
It is believed that flight became unnecessary for birds that inhabited predator-free habitats, as those birds no longer needed to escape and these birds lost the habit of flight.
9. Which is the king of flightless birds?
Ostrichs are the largest flightless birds in size as well as the largest birds in the world in general.
10. Which is that scary flightless bird?
The cassowary is considered the most dangerous bird in the world, at least to humans, but ostriches and emus can be dangerous too.