Why Can’t Some Birds Fly?

Birds like chickens, penguins and ostriches can’t fly, but it turns they were once able to. How did they lose this ability?

Read More:

Evolution Made Ridiculous Flightless Birds Over and Over
“The ratites are a group of birds that includes the ostrich and emu, as well as the kiwi, rhea (like a smaller, South American ostrich), and cassowary (with a bright blue face and what looks like a toenail on its head).”

Big Flightless Birds Come From High-Flying Ancestors
“ Scientists used to think all of these large, flightless birds descended from a large, flightless ancestor that lived millions of years ago when the southern hemisphere had a giant supercontinent. That supercontinent broke up - Africa drifted away, then India and South America.”

Genomic Support for a Moa-Tinamou Clade and Adaptive Morphological Convergence in Flightless Ratites
“Phylogenetic analysis using standard homogeneous models and heterogeneous models robust to common topological artefacts recovered compelling support for ratite paraphyly with the little bush moa closest to tinamous within ratites.”

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[veldrien]

I would like to trade my ability to be socially awkward for a set of wings, please

[morgengabe]

"You can't be both a great flyer and swimmer"
Said no flying fish ever.

[koppadasao]

But penguins DO fly! It's just that the fluid medium of flight is a lot denser than the air above the surface.

[benjaminstubblefield]

It’s obvious why penguins can’t fly! Ever see a penguin wearing a mask?

[-comment]

I don't know why, but before clicking on the video, I read the title and replied, "Because they stupid!"

[bearriver]

DNews, why do some people physically appear "evil" ? Certain actors will often fill the role of a villain in cinema, as an example of this.

[nicz.iiiiiiiii]

I would like to evolve out of existence please and thank you😃👍

[AbrarManzoor]

Flying of birds is still a valuable character and has more chances of getting passed to another generations and how all of population becomes flightless while flight has several advantages that has more chances of getting passed into next gen.

[Sahrilla]

Benedict Cumberbatch says they are called “Pengwings“...

[LizNguyen]

You should include link of video at the end in the info box. I'm on an iPhone and can't click on the video

[Spiritstar]

there's a fairly easy way to explain it. Let me put it in terms of a role playing game.
Every species has a set number of "evolution points" (EP for short.) Flight is a pretty expensive feat, so are opposable thumbs, camouflage and so forth. Swimming and adaptation to cold, say, cost somewhat less EP and are a good combination, hence the penguin can live in various places, especially the most hostile. But they don't have enough EP left over to be able to fly as well. Likewise with humans. We have opposable thumbs, and are (by and large) intelligent, but we're usually clumsy in the water and many of us can't handle low temperatures worth beans.

[NicoFireBlood]

Damn, the flying chickens are what I'm terrified of.

[MrJoshSteel]

The way you say emu makes my aussie ears hurt...Emoooo :P

[GoogleHelpYou]

FOr those who are wondering, this doesn't contradict the video where birds evolved from Dinosaurs because some Dinosaurs evolved into flying birds which then evolved into non avian birds

[ashmckinlay]

since the dawn of humanity, man has dreamed of one thing -liberation from gravity.

[JUICYRUSEY]

It's pronounced EMUUU!!! Not EMOOO, ain't no cow lady it's a bird.

[jlindsa]

Whoever was controlling the camera... shouldn't.

[eruditootidure]

every time I hear Emu pronounced as "Emoo", part of my soul dies T_T

[jeffberanek]

why would you tell me to watch a video but not put a link in the description for mobile users?

[bully]

So can human evolve to lose their intelligence after intelligent robots are born?