Flightless – Birds that cannot fly!
1. Flightless Cormorant
What distinguishes birds from all the other animals? Their wings, feathers and their ability to fly. Birds are the only creatures to possess feathers.
Though all birds have wings, not all of them are capable of flight! The birds that are naturally unable to fly are called flightless birds. One of such flightless bird is the Flightless Cormorant.
The flightless cormorant is native of Galapagos Islands, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. These birds are black on the dorsal side and brown on the belly side. Its long black beak is hooked at the tip. They have short wings and webbed feet.
It stands up to 40 inches in height and weighs less than 4 kg. They feed on octopus, eels and fish. When looking for food, the bird holds its wings close to the body and uses its powerful legs and feet to propel itself through the water.
After each dive they stretch their small wings to dry it in the sun, as the feathers are not waterproofed. With only about 800 pairs of flightless cormorants remaining, it is one of the rarest water birds in the world.
2. Ostrich
The ostrich has a long neck and legs. It has large eyes and a pink beak. It can brow to a height of 2.7 meters and it weighs 156 kg. On an average, they live for 50 years. These birds live in the dry savannahs of Africa. They eat mostly plants, but also eat insects, fruits, seeds and nuts. When threatened, the ostrich will either run away or lie low with their long necks pressed flat against the ground. The bird adopts this technique to make itself less visible.
Normally, these birds move around in elegant dance steps, but they are swift runners. The ostrich can run up to 70 km per hour, making it the fastest running bird! Its long legs can cover 3 to 5 meters in a single strike. The ostrich is the heaviest and also the world’s largest bird.
Ostrich lays largest egg. One ostrich egg weighs as much as two dozen chicken eggs!
3. Penguin
Penguins are fascinating seabirds that are black on the dorsal side and white on the ventral or underside. Each variety of penguin has its own distinguishing marks and differently coloured eyes.
The largest is the emperor penguin and the smallest is the fairy penguin. On an average, the bird can swim at a speed of 24 km per hour. Its smooth body and strong wings help the bird swim fast. Penguins are native to the southern hemisphere and are mostly found in Antarctica. Some of them live in the southern tips of South America, Africa and Australia. Penguins spend most of their time in the icy waters of the southern ocean. Its close-growing waterproofed feathers keep their skin dry and warm. They eat krill, squid and small fish while swimming.
Penguins use their wings to swim and propel themselves in water. They also hold their wings horizontal to let off the excess warmth in their bodies. Penguins also use their wings to maintain an upright posture on land. While on land, they rest on their heels and tail feathers, to conserve heat.
1. Flightless Cormorant
What distinguishes birds from all the other animals? Their wings, feathers and their ability to fly. Birds are the only creatures to possess feathers.
Though all birds have wings, not all of them are capable of flight! The birds that are naturally unable to fly are called flightless birds. One of such flightless bird is the Flightless Cormorant.
The flightless cormorant is native of Galapagos Islands, a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. These birds are black on the dorsal side and brown on the belly side. Its long black beak is hooked at the tip. They have short wings and webbed feet.
It stands up to 40 inches in height and weighs less than 4 kg. They feed on octopus, eels and fish. When looking for food, the bird holds its wings close to the body and uses its powerful legs and feet to propel itself through the water.
After each dive they stretch their small wings to dry it in the sun, as the feathers are not waterproofed. With only about 800 pairs of flightless cormorants remaining, it is one of the rarest water birds in the world.
2. Ostrich
The ostrich has a long neck and legs. It has large eyes and a pink beak. It can brow to a height of 2.7 meters and it weighs 156 kg. On an average, they live for 50 years. These birds live in the dry savannahs of Africa. They eat mostly plants, but also eat insects, fruits, seeds and nuts. When threatened, the ostrich will either run away or lie low with their long necks pressed flat against the ground. The bird adopts this technique to make itself less visible.
Normally, these birds move around in elegant dance steps, but they are swift runners. The ostrich can run up to 70 km per hour, making it the fastest running bird! Its long legs can cover 3 to 5 meters in a single strike. The ostrich is the heaviest and also the world’s largest bird.
Ostrich lays largest egg. One ostrich egg weighs as much as two dozen chicken eggs!
3. Penguin
Penguins are fascinating seabirds that are black on the dorsal side and white on the ventral or underside. Each variety of penguin has its own distinguishing marks and differently coloured eyes.
The largest is the emperor penguin and the smallest is the fairy penguin. On an average, the bird can swim at a speed of 24 km per hour. Its smooth body and strong wings help the bird swim fast. Penguins are native to the southern hemisphere and are mostly found in Antarctica. Some of them live in the southern tips of South America, Africa and Australia. Penguins spend most of their time in the icy waters of the southern ocean. Its close-growing waterproofed feathers keep their skin dry and warm. They eat krill, squid and small fish while swimming.
Penguins use their wings to swim and propel themselves in water. They also hold their wings horizontal to let off the excess warmth in their bodies. Penguins also use their wings to maintain an upright posture on land. While on land, they rest on their heels and tail feathers, to conserve heat.
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