Page 76 - World of Animals - Issue #36

Birds that

c
6 an’t fly

Birds fly to migrate, search for food, or to escape predators but some

species have found other ways to overcome these needs, rendering

the need to fly useless

pe
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Emperor penguin
i
K
iw
Kiwi i The ability to swim has become
The New Zealand icon is a nocturnal much more important than flying

bird that uses its incredible sense of ever could be for this bird

smell to find its prey Penguins were able to fly many moons ago.

The kiwi bird belongs to the genus Apteryx, the Flightless cormorant But over the years, a life spent on the ice and
Latin word for ‘wingless’. Although they are the This large water bird’s body is swimming for survival has led to wings that more
smallest ratite (non-flying bird family) member perfectly adapted to diving and closely resemble flippers. Their bones have also

and have been sentenced to a life on the ground, gliding through the ocean changed; rather than having hollow bones like
they do have tiny vestigial wings buried beneath other birds, their bones have become heavier to

their bristly feathers, leover from a previous life. The flightless cormorant is the only one of 40 help them dive below the water’s surface.
cormorant species to have lost the ability to fly.

Also known as the Galapagos cormorant, a lack of
natural predators, all round good weather, and a
plentiful food supply means they have no real need

for flight at all. They also have webbed feet and
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powerful legs to power through the water.. r
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Ostrich
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An ostrich’s kick can be lethal as
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they have some of the strongest legs
w
Cassowary they have some of the strongest legs Rhea
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in the animal kingdom
The big bird with a dangerous in the animal kingdom One of the most powerful birds uses
reputation that’s able to take down Ostriches do not have a keel, which is a part of the its wings as rudders
dogs and humans with one kick breastbone connecting the pectoral muscles to the Native to South America, the rhea’s name comes
wings, and the structure enabling other birds to
Being unable to take to the sky to avoid predators, flap and take flight. However, even if ostriches did from the Greek word for ‘ground’. It may seem silly

the cassowary has learned to stand up for itself have a keel, their tiny wings probably wouldn’t be for a flightless bird to be in possession of wings,

in other ways and the shy bird chooses fight able to carry their large weight. They are certainly but the rhea uses them for stability when running

© Thinkstock; Getty cassowary as the world’s most dangerous bird, at no disadvantage; to compensate for the lack of per hour. It is an impressive sight, as they run in a
at high speeds of up to 64.4 kilometres (40 miles)

over flight in response to a potential threat.
The Guinness Book of Records has named the
li, the largest bird in the world can run at speeds

zigzag pattern while liing alternate wings to act

of up to 70 kilometres (43 miles) per hour.
thanks to their strong kick and sharp claws.
as sails and to confuse potential attackers.
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