flightlessness
Lacking aerial ability
Flightlessness is the condition of being unable to fly, said of birds whose wings have evolved for purposes other than aerial locomotion.
Penguins, ostriches, and kiwis exhibit flightlessness—their wings adapted for swimming, balance, or became vestigial.
The term occasionally extends metaphorically to describe being grounded or stuck: a flightlessness of spirit.
Flightless aquatic southern bird
- ostrichLargest living bird
- emuFlightless Australian bird
- kiwiFuzzy brown-skinned fruit
- cassowaryLarge flightless Australian bird
rhea · kakapo · dodo · moa · great auk · elephant bird · solitaire · rail
Reduced, without current function
- atrophiedDeclined from underuse
- winglessHaving no wings
- breastboneFlat anterior thoracic bone
- sternumFlat chest bone
plumage · feathers · body mass · wing structure · pectoral muscles
Complete vanishing of a species
- predationHunting and consuming prey
- invasive speciesHarmful non-native organism
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
- endangeredAt risk of extinction
conservation · dodo · ground-nesting · defenseless · human impact · rats · population decline
Stable and realistic
- earthboundConfined to terra firma
- limitationBound on extent
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
- restrictionLimit on action
inability · immobility · stuck · landlocked · hindered · bound · tethered · rooted
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- ecological nicheSpecies' functional environmental position
- isolationComplete separation from others
endemic · genetic drift · selection pressure · divergence · convergent evolution
penguin
Flightless aquatic southern bird
cassowary · rhea · kakapo · dodo · moa · great auk · elephant bird · solitaire · rail
vestigial
Reduced, without current function
- atrophiedDeclined from underuse
- winglessHaving no wings
- breastboneFlat anterior thoracic bone
sternum · plumage · feathers · body mass · wing structure · pectoral muscles
extinction
Complete vanishing of a species
- predationHunting and consuming prey
- invasive speciesHarmful non-native organism
- habitat lossElimination of living spaces
endangered · conservation · dodo · ground-nesting · defenseless · human impact · rats · population decline
grounded
Stable and realistic
- earthboundConfined to terra firma
- limitationBound on extent
- constraintLimiting condition or rule
restriction · inability · immobility · stuck · landlocked · hindered · bound · tethered · rooted · anchored
natural selection
Differential reproductive success
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- speciationFormation of distinct species
- ecological nicheSpecies' functional environmental position
isolation · endemic · genetic drift · selection pressure · divergence · convergent evolution
- island ecologyoceanic islands, endemic species, archipelago, archipelagos, atoll
- flightless birdsostrich, penguins, emu, ostriches, kiwi
- bird evolutionArchaeopteryx, archaeopteryx, theropod, feathered dinosaurs, theropods
flightlessnessflight
Aerial journey by aircraft
powered flight · airworthiness · flying · wings · soaring
flight, flying, flights, flighty, fliers, flightless, flightless bird