Envis Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India
Printed Date: Thursday, December 5, 2024
Common Flightless Birds
The concept of flight is intimately connected to birds, but not all birds fly. Instead, some birds develop other ways to get around and no longer need their wings. These birds often develop better plumage camouflage, more muscular legs for running, specialized feet for swimming, or other adaptations that help them survive on the ground in their native habitat. Flightless birds are found throughout the world, though the largest concentration of flightless species is in New Zealand. Until humans arrived roughly 1,000 years ago in New Zealand, there were no large land predators in the region. Due to a lack of predators and the region's diverse habitat and rich ecosystem, the birds from that isolated area no longer needed flight to survive.
However, time seems to be catching up to some flightless birds. More than 50% of flightless bird species are considered threatened or vulnerable, 20% are endangered, and many have gone extinct. More than 80% of flightless birds have a grave and uncertain future. Conservation measures and human help is necessary to help protect the remaining numbers of these unique species and keep these birds thriving in the wild. There are approximately 57 flightless bird species, though the exact count can differ depending on subspecies and split classifications. While many people can name a few species, the different types of flightless birds are often a surprise.
Sl No.
|
Common Name
|
Scientific Name
|
Ratites
|
1
|
Common Ostrich
|
Struthio camelus
|
2
|
Somali Ostrich
|
Struthio molybdophanes
|
3
|
Emu
|
Dromaius novaehollandiae
|
4
|
Dwarf Cassowary
|
Casuarius bennetti
|
5
|
Northern Cassowary
|
Casuarius unappendiculatus
|
6
|
Southern Cassowary
|
Casuarius casuarius
|
7
|
Great Spotted Kiwi
|
Apteryx haastii
|
8
|
Little Spotted Kiwi
|
Apteryx owenii
|
9
|
Northern Brown Kiwi
|
Apteryx mantelli
|
10
|
Okarito Kiwi
|
Apteryx rowi
|
11
|
Southern Brown Kiwi
|
Apteryx australis
|
12
|
Greater Rhea
|
Rhea americana
|
13
|
Lesser Rhea
|
Rhea pennata
|
Waterfowl
|
14
|
Auckland Teal
|
Anas aucklandica
|
15
|
Campbell Teal
|
Anas nesiotis
|
16
|
Falkland Steamerduck
|
Tachyeres brachypterus
|
17
|
Magellanic Steamerduck
|
Tachyeres pteneres
|
18
|
White-headed Steamerduck
|
Tachyeres leucocephalus
|
Grebes
|
19
|
Junin Grebe
|
Podiceps taczanowskii
|
20
|
Titicaca Grebe
|
Rollandia microptera
|
Cormorants
|
21
|
Flightless Cormorant
|
Phalacrocorax harrisi
|
Penguins
|
22
|
All penguins are flightless.
|
Rails
|
23
|
Calayan Rail
|
Gallirallus calayanensis
|
24
|
Drummer Rail
|
Habroptila wallacii
|
25
|
Giant Coot -adults only; immature birds can fly
|
Fulica gigantea
|
26
|
Gough Moorhen
|
Gallinula nesiotis
|
27
|
Guadalcanal Rail
|
Hypotaenidia woodfordi
|
28
|
Guam Rail) – Extinct in the Wild
|
Gallirallus owstoni
|
29
|
Henderson Crake
|
Porzana atra
|
30
|
Inaccessible Rail
|
Atlantisia rogersi
|
31
|
Lord Howe Woodhen
|
Gallirallus sylvestris
|
32
|
Makira Moorhen
|
Gallinula silvestris
|
33
|
New Britain Rail
|
Gallirallus insignis
|
34
|
New Caledonian Rail
|
Gallirallus lafresnayanus
|
35
|
New Guinea Flightless Rail
|
Megacrex inepta
|
36
|
Okinawa Rail
|
Gallirallus okinawae
|
37
|
Roviana Rail
|
Gallirallus rovianae
|
38
|
Samoan Moorhen
|
Gallinula pacifica
|
39
|
Snoring Rail
|
Aramidopsis plateni
|
40
|
South Island Takahe
|
Porphyrio hochstetteri
|
41
|
Tasmanian Native-hen
|
Gallinula mortierii
|
42
|
Weka
|
Gallirallus australis
|
Owl Parrot
|
43
|
Kakapo
|
Strigops habroptila
|
Reference: https://www.thespruce.com