{"id":2190676,"date":"2026-04-12T06:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-12T04:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2190676"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:34:22","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:34:22","slug":"they-can-stand-up-to-9-feet-tall-and-weigh-over-a-whopping-24-stone-11-bonkers-rule-breaking-birds-that-cant-fly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/they-can-stand-up-to-9-feet-tall-and-weigh-over-a-whopping-24-stone-11-bonkers-rule-breaking-birds-that-cant-fly\/","title":{"rendered":"“They can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone.” 11 bonkers, rule-breaking birds that can’t fly"},"content":{"rendered":"
Wings do not guarantee flight.\u00a0You may think that the ability to fly might be one of the most envied and useful aspects of being a bird. However, there are numerous bird species which, through evolution,\u00a0have lost their ability to fly\u00a0over time.<\/p>\n
This has happened in different bird groups independently, meaning that flightlessness is a good example of convergent evolution. This is when distantly related organisms evolve the same or similar traits in response to similar pressures and needs.<\/p>\n
But why might flightlessness be useful? In some cases, it is because flight simply isn’t needed, due to a lack of predators for example, and so it is more beneficial to direct resources into other abilities.<\/p>\n
This is why flightless birds are often found on isolated islands. In other instances, flight apparatus might even be a hindrance, making it more difficult to dive deep into the water for instance.<\/p>\n
Giving up on flying also allows birds to become much larger and heavier – it\u2019s no coincidence that the\u00a0world\u2019s largest bird, the common ostrich, is flightless. Read on to learn all about 10 of our favourite flightless birds.<\/p>\n
11 strange flightless birds<\/h2>\n
Inaccessible Island rail (Laterallus rogersi<\/em>)<\/h3>\n\n
Image credit: Brian Gratwicke, CC BY 2.0 https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
This curiously named species is the world\u2019s smallest flightless bird. Endemic to a South Atlantic island with the very on-the-nose name of Inaccessible Island, this tiny brown bird only reaches a maximum length of 15.5cm and a maximum weight of 49g.<\/p>\n
One big mystery about this species is how they got to the remote island in the first place. It was initially thought that they had always been flightless, and so scientists theorised that they must have walked over now long-submerged land bridges.<\/p>\n
However, with a greater understanding of plate tectonics, alongside genetic evidence, the truth of their past has recently been revealed. Genome sequencing has suggested their closest living relative is a flighted bird (the Dot-winged crake), meaning that the common ancestor of these two had the ability to fly, and the ancestors of Inaccessible Island rail likely simply flew to their island home.<\/p>\n
Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
From the smallest to the largest, the next on our list is the ostrich. This sizeable bird is in fact both the heaviest and tallest of all extant birds (let alone just flightless ones). Adult males can stand up to 9 feet tall and weigh over a whopping 24 stone!<\/p>\n
Contrary to the popular myth these birds don\u2019t\u00a0stick their heads in the sand when scared and are instead likely to run away.<\/p>\n
As obligate ground nesting birds they do however sometimes put their heads in their sandy nests to rotate their eggs, which is probably where the myth originated.<\/p>\n
Kakapo (Strigops habroptila<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
The next on our list is perhaps one of the strangest birds that exists. Not only is it the world\u2019s only flightless parrot, but it is fat and bright green, often moves around by jogging, is nocturnal, and is also very friendly to humans!<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, these bizarre New Zealand natives are critically endangered. It is thought that the arrival of predatory cats and rats (brought by European colonisers) was responsible for the sharpest declines, and by the mid-1900s kakapos teetered on the very edge of extinction with only a few individuals left. Recent\u00a0intensive conservation efforts\u00a0have brought them back from the brink, however. As of 2023, there are now 247 individuals surviving.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the best-known examples of flightless birds are penguins. Penguins’ wings have become supremely adapted for swimming rather than flying. The emperor penguin is the largest of all penguin species, standing at a stately 120cm tall on average.<\/p>\n
They are only found in Antarctica, living in vast colonies of up to around 20,000 pairs on the sea ice. This social living is one of the ways they keep from freezing once the brutal Antarctic winter descends. To stave off the cold males (who are left caring for their chicks whilst their mates are feeding at sea), huddle together in tight-knit groups, shuffling so that everyone gets a turn in the insulated middle of the huddle.<\/p>\n
Kiwi (Apteryx genus)<\/h2>\n\n
This bizarre and beloved bird is the national animal of Aotearoa New Zealand.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n
I know what you may be thinking – which came first, the fruit or the bird? Well, the furry fruit was actually named after the bird and not the other way around!<\/p>\n
The name Kiwi is thought to have come from the M\u0101ori language and is derived from the call that they make.\u00a0Kiwis\u00a0are very unusual birds. Not only are they flightless but they also have quite a few almost mammalian traits. Instead of being hollow like most birds, their bones are heavy and marrow-filled. They are also born fully feathered and independent, and their shaggy plumage is almost hair-like.<\/p>\n
They have a highly developed sense of smell and are the only birds to have nostrils at the end of their beak.<\/p>\n
Takahe (Porphyrio hochstetteri<\/em>)<\/h3>\n\n
Another flightless New Zealand bird is the colourful Takahe.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n
These stout birds are the largest living rail species, weighing up to 3.8 kg (a far cry from the diminutive Inaccessible Island rail).<\/p>\n
Takahe are somewhat of a conservation miracle, having been thought extinct for nearly 50 years and then famously rediscovered in an isolated valley in 1948.<\/p>\n
Their decline was due to extensive hunting by the native M\u0101ori people, but also competition and predation from non-native mammals introduced by European settlers. Today they are extensively protected and managed and their population is around 500 individuals and growing yearly.<\/p>\n
In the same group as ostriches (ratites), Darwin\u2019s rhea are similarly long-necked and long-legged. They are however considerably smaller, standing only about 3 feet tall. They are prodigious runners, reaching top speeds of 37 mph as they dash across their South American grassland home.<\/p>\n
The name, quite predictably, is after the famous naturalist, who is said to have eaten one during his voyage to Patagonia! Halfway through the meal he realised this was a species he had been searching for and was able to put together a nearly complete specimen from the remains to bring home.<\/p>\n
Something you might not expect to see on a list of flightless birds is a duck! One of only a few flightless duck species (including 3 of the 4 steamer duck species) the Fugeian steamer duck inhabits rocky coastlines and islands in Chile.<\/p>\n
These handsome but hulking ducks are particularly aggressive and are known to kill other, even much bigger, bird species for no apparent reason. They use their tough spurred wings to deal deadly blows to those unfortunate enough to stray into their territory during mating season.<\/p>\n
The only cormorant that has lost the ability to fly, this appropriately-named bird is found only on the\u00a0Galapagos Islands. It is a good example of the unusual animals found on this incredible archipelago.<\/p>\n
Living on an isolated island with no natural predators and taking most of its food from diving into the sea meant that the ability to fly became less important. In fact, for a diving bird flight feathers can be a hindrance, as air bubbles get trapped in them. And so these cormorants eventually evolved smaller and less obtrusive wings.<\/p>\n
This very sweet-looking bird is found, as the name would suggest, primarily on Lake Titicaca on the border of Peru and Bolivia. Although completely flightless this species does however utilise wing-assisted running, flapping its wings to help it cover large distances with ease.<\/p>\n
They are also excellent divers, spending much of their time beneath the surface hunting fish. Unfortunately, these charismatic birds are classified as endangered, with the greatest threat they face being caught up and drowning in gill-nets<\/p>\n
Emu<\/h3>\n
The long-legged, long-necked emu can reach around 1.9m tall and is found only in Australia.<\/p>\n
Emus have an interesting and mixed relationship with humans. Although historically economically valuable as a food and fuel source, an important source of meat for both indigenous Australians and early European settlers, and their fat used to light lamps, they have also come into conflict with people due to their crop-destroying tendencies.<\/p>\n
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