Flightless bird 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 duck, have lost
The Lays of Beleriand of the Rings". There is an inscription in the Fëanorian characters (Tengwar, an alphabet Tolkien has devised for High-Elves) in the first pages of every History of Middle-earth volume, written by Christopher Tolkien and describing the contents of the book. The inscription in Book III reads: The Lays of Beleriand The Lays of Beleriand, published in 1985, is the third volume of Christopher Tolkien's 12-volume book series, "The History of Middle-earth", in which he analyzes the unpublished manuscripts of his father J. R. R. Tolkien. The book contains the long heroic lays or lyric poetry Tolkien wrote: these are "The