As the the category name of these birds suggest, they are flightless - unable to fly yet the still have wings. All of the ancestors of the flightless birds were able to fly but it was due to the fact that the wings were no longer needed. Since some of the species have no natural predators or have only few predators, their search for food became priority. They lose the ability to fly but are replaces by other skills that help them survive in their habitat. Those skills may include swimming, wading, running, camouflage or other adaptations to live in their native territory. Instead of flying, the wings of the flightless birds can also be used such as flippers for swimming or acting as brakes for swift runners. There are about 57 flightless bird species, though the exact count can differ depending on subspecies and split classifications. While many people can name at least a few species, the different types of flightless birds are often a surprise.
Although they are flightless they still have wings. The wings would be smaller or less refined than the birds are able to fly. These birds that don't fly also tends to have different feather shape and less amount of feathers. Majority of the flightless birds don't have the keel of the breastbone, the part of the bone that attaches to flight muscles and they generally have less wing bones.
Being a flightless bird can also face many risks that can be more unsafe to them than to flying birds. Predators can stalk flightless birds more successfully, and these birds are more vulnerable to poaching, traps and other man-made threats such as litter, pollution or fishing line. Because they cannot fly to a new area, habitat loss is also a serious threat to non-flying birds. Today, more than half of flightless bird species are considered threatened or vulnerable, an extra 20 percent are endangered and one is even extinct in the wild – meaning more than 80 percent of these birds have a grave and uncertain future. Countless flightless birds have already gone extinct, and tough conservation actions are essential to help conserve the left over numbers of these unique species.
The Emu is a flightless bird that still needs monitoring and conserving so it will not reach the stage of endangerment. Though one of its subspecies, the Tasmanian Emu is already extinct. An endangered flightless bird species is the Cassowary. We need to act quickly so that we can preserve these special and exclusive animals in Australia.
Although they are flightless they still have wings. The wings would be smaller or less refined than the birds are able to fly. These birds that don't fly also tends to have different feather shape and less amount of feathers. Majority of the flightless birds don't have the keel of the breastbone, the part of the bone that attaches to flight muscles and they generally have less wing bones.
Being a flightless bird can also face many risks that can be more unsafe to them than to flying birds. Predators can stalk flightless birds more successfully, and these birds are more vulnerable to poaching, traps and other man-made threats such as litter, pollution or fishing line. Because they cannot fly to a new area, habitat loss is also a serious threat to non-flying birds. Today, more than half of flightless bird species are considered threatened or vulnerable, an extra 20 percent are endangered and one is even extinct in the wild – meaning more than 80 percent of these birds have a grave and uncertain future. Countless flightless birds have already gone extinct, and tough conservation actions are essential to help conserve the left over numbers of these unique species.
The Emu is a flightless bird that still needs monitoring and conserving so it will not reach the stage of endangerment. Though one of its subspecies, the Tasmanian Emu is already extinct. An endangered flightless bird species is the Cassowary. We need to act quickly so that we can preserve these special and exclusive animals in Australia.