Not all birds can fly, which is rather odd considering that birds are often characterized by their ability to take flight. Here's what you need to know about flightless birds.
Basic facts about flightless birds
The world has about 40 different species of flightless birds, which is a number that is vastly small compared to the total species of birds that are out there. Flightless birds can't fly, but they do have wings. At fist glance this may not make sense, but flightless birds use their wings for other functions.
Flightless birds usually live in areas where they're safe from predators. Something about their environment or their body make-up allows them to survive without having to take flight. In fact, most flightless birds live on islands that predators can't get to. One flightless bird, the ostrich, lives around predators but is large enough and has such powerful legs and tough claws that it can defend itself from predators.
Why can't they fly?
Flightless birds can't fly because, compared to their body size, their wings are small. The shape of their breastbone is also different than that of other birds and prevents them from being angled for flight.
So who's flightless?
Penguins, ostriches, kiwis and reheas are just a few of the 40 species of flightless birds that roam this earth.
Penguins live in large groups that they utilize as a family. Living in a large colony gives these birds greater access to protection and also helps them raise and care for young. These flightless birds use their wings to swim and catch food. Penguins live in cold environments.
The kiwis, on the other hand, are flightless birds that live in an entirely different environment. Kiwis live in New Zealand and are a descendant of the now extinct moas. Kiwis are funny looking and have long feathers that kind of look like hair. The kiwi is much smaller than the moa and only grows to about the size of a chicken or, if it's a large kiwi, the size of a turkey.
Kiwis have been able to survive without wings because they live on an island and until the maori came along, didn’t have any predators. One of the kiwis biggest enemies, though not necessarily a predator, is the human. When kiwis were discovered on the island, they were taken into captivity and put into zoos. Although the kiwi has had some negative experiences with humans, it is one of a few flightless birds that has outsmarted extinction.
