Flightless bird also included here. Flightless bird Flightless birds are birds that through evolution lost the ability to fly. There are over 60 extant species including the well known ratites (ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea and kiwi) and penguins. The smallest flightless bird is the Inaccessible Island rail (length 12.5 cm, weight 34.7 g). The largest (both heaviest and tallest) flightless bird, which is also the largest living bird, is the ostrich (2.7 m, 156 kg). Ostriches are farmed for their decorative feathers, meat and their skins, which are used to make leather. Many domesticated birds, such as the domestic chicken and domestic
New Guinea flightless rail New Guinea flightless rail The New Guinea flightless rail ("Megacrex inepta"), also known as the Papuan flightless rail, is a species of bird in the family Rallidae, in the monotypic genus "Megacrex". Sometimes however, it was included in "Amaurornis" or "Habroptila", but this is incorrect. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical mangrove forests, and subtropical or tropical swamps. It is threatened by habitat loss. "M. inepta" is indeed closely related to "Amaurornis", but not as close as to warrant inclusion therein. Rather, it is