How many birds can’t fly?

Birds are a group of animals that includes about 10,000 species. It is a popular notion that most birds can fly; however, this is incorrect. Looking at the distribution of birds, we see that there are some species of flightless birds! Why then do we call them all birds?
The answer is simple: every animal with feathers, beak, and wings belongs to the class of Birds (as opposed to the more recently evolved flying mammals).

The most famous flightless birds are:

– Ostrich
Ostriches are unique birds native to Africa and the largest living bird in the world. They can grow up to 9 feet tall and weigh 350 pounds. Being the biggest bird in the world comes at a price. These birds can’t fly – BUT ostriches have long and powerful legs for running at high speeds and a long neck that is used to reach high into the trees.
– Emu
Australia’s most famous flightless bird and a relative of the ostrich. Both male and female emus grow large red claws on their toes. Emus are flightless because they’re too heavy, and their wings are too small and weak to help them stay in the air. The average height and weight are 1.8 meters and 60-90 kilograms, males larger than females.

However, they can run very fast (up to 50km/h) and perform spectacular jumps up to three meters high and five meters long. Emus use their sharp claws primarily for scratching against the ground to search for food such as ants, termites, larvae, seeds, and tubers.

– Cassowary
The Cassowary is the second tallest bird on earth. They have feathers that grow up to 50 inches long that are black and blue. The Cassowary is a large bird that can’t fly either, but it can move fast for short distances. And like the ostrich and the emu, it can run fast, jump high and use its powerful claws to defend itself from predators or catch food.

– Rhea
The rhea is a flightless bird native to South America. Its plumage is varied, though black and grey’s most common colors. It has elongated legs (similar in length to its neck) but also possesses a short wingspan for a flightless bird (about 2/3 of an ostrich). They are very social creatures; rhea feeds together in groups and migrates together across vast distances. They possess three long toes on each foot, which they use to grasp grasses and shrubs when grazing or feeding on ground insects. Other ratites share this characteristic, including the moa, Emu, Cassowary, and Kiwi.
Rheas are herbivores; they primarily consume grasses and leaves.

– Kakapo
The Kakapo is a large, brown, flightless bird. However, it can climb trees and swim, which has made it a very adaptive creature. The Kakapo is one of the world’s heaviest parrots. Its nocturnal activity patterns are unique in that it feeds on various plant materials besides fruit, such as leaf litter and fungi.
Kakapo was once found throughout New Zealand but is now limited to three islands: Codfish Island/Whenua Hou, Little Barrier Island, and Stewart Island. As of 2013, there are 149 kakapos left in the wild, and only a handful of those females can lay eggs. This means that the species will become extinct unless something is done soon. Why are they endangered?

Unfortunately, as you can see above, their population numbers have dropped steadily since human beings arrived and changed the island. The main cause of their endangerment is that stoats hunt them. Stoats were brought to New Zealand by European settlers as a form of biological control for unwanted rodents and became a real threat to the native wildlife populations.

The Kakapo has no known natural predators besides humans and until recently was thought to have no predator at all. However, it is vulnerable because it cannot fly away from predators like nearly every other bird on the planet; it can only run very slowly over short distances or climb trees, but not both at once.

– Penguin
Penguins are probably the most famous birds that can’t fly! Their diet consists of crustaceans (such as shrimp), fish, squid, and krill (shrimp).
They have a thick insulation layer to keep it warm during the cold Antarctic winters. This layer is made primarily from a type of fat called “blubber.”
A penguin’s feathers are adapted to its aquatic lifestyle and are flattened and overlapping to reduce water drag while swimming. Their short, stiff shape makes them perfect for diving underwater – they can reach depths up to 120 meters below sea level! Wow!

– Kiwi Bird
These birds are New Zealand’s National Symbol – and can’t fly! 

Kiwi’s have never had a reason to fly because they hunt earthworms and other small insects found on the earth. As a result, they had no natural predators until humans came around and brought stoats and cats to New Zealand. Now they’re an endangered species without any natural defenses against these predators, and it’s thought that only 45% of kiwis survive after being hatched.

– Flightless Cormorant
As the name suggests, the Flightless Cormorant can’t fly! They are, however, incredible deep divers. They can dive up to 30 meters deep in search of tasty fish and squid! In addition, they have a very long neck which helps them scoop prey out from under the sea surface.

– Rails
The rail family has many flightless members that live in wet areas, including marshes, reedbeds, and swamps. However, rails are most commonly found in warm climates.

– Waterfowl
Most waterfowl can fly, but some ducks and teals are flightless birds who evolved to live on the water. They swim relatively fast and dive for food. Their strong feet are good for swimming, and they have very short bills so they can catch small fish. They also eat insects, plant seeds, and plants growing underwater in shallow water. The most serious threats to these birds are hunting and the loss or damage of their wetland habitats by humans.

– Grebes
The grebes are a group of aquatic birds that look more like geese or ducks. They have lobed toes and long necks, which help them catch fish in the water. They are considered waterfowl because of their appearance and their webbed feet.

Long story short:

Some birds that appear to be flightless actually fly but not well enough to escape predators or catch food easily, with the peacock being one example. Almost all bird species can fly. Birds that cannot fly are usually restricted to islands or coastal regions, but even there, they have been known to become extinct due to increased predation from mammals or humans, such as rats, stoats, or cats.

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