Birds that can't fly. Project: “Do all birds fly? Why can't some birds fly? head: primary school teacher mbou - Poluzhskaya oosh Pinchukova Elena Fedorovna

Which birds CAN'T fly July 2nd, 2016

What non-flying birds did I know about? Well, for example Nanda, Emu, African ostrich, penguin - everyone knows them. A little more complicated: there is one that also cannot fly. I knew about her. Yes, of course - I knew about her too.

And now there are a few more birds that also cannot fly, but they were news to me.

For example...

Cormorant

And this is the Galapagos flightless cormorant. A bird from the pelican order, the cormorant family. The cormorant is the only bird of the family that has completely lost the ability to fly. As a result, it reaches quite large sizes, being largest species cormorants on Earth. Because they lack the ability to fly, these birds are easy prey for introduced predators such as dogs, cats, rats and wild boars. Today, only about 1,600 individuals of this species exist.

Externally, cormorants resemble ducks, differing only in their short, as if stubby, wings

Since the flightless great cormorant cannot swim from the mainland to the islands (when fishing, it never swims more than 100 meters from the shore), the question arises: where could it come from? Darwin suggested that it evolved from great cormorants that arrived on the islands and gradually lost its ability to fly. We now understand that such changes occurred as a result of mutation or genetic copying error. This mutation could have been disastrous for birds, but it has become beneficial for the great cormorants that live on this island.3

This situation reminds us of the story of flightless beetles on windy islands. Such beetles may be more likely to survive there, while flying beetles may be blown far beyond the islands. Or perhaps this is just an example of diminishing influence natural selection- without the presence of predators on the mainland and with an abundance of food in the sea, the loss of the ability to fly is not as critical as the loss of vision of cave dwellers over generations.5 In any case, this is not an example of evolution; a mutation in the great cormorant, as a result of which it lost the ability to fly, is an example of the loss of genetic information. "Evolution in action" requires changes that result in new genetic information.

And here is the Tristan shepherd boy

In the southern part of the Atlantic Ocean on the Inaccessible Island, belonging to the Tristan da Cunha archipelago. An area of ​​just over 10 km is home to the smallest flightless bird - the Tristan rail. This species usually weighs about 30 grams and has a length of 17 cm. Here, on Inaccessible, the bird is not at all threatened by predators.

Tristan rails are found throughout the island, but prefer to live in small groups in open grasslands and hide in fern bushes. During the breeding season, from October to January, you can see the nest of the Tristan rail. It is neatly built from plants and hidden under a wicker canopy. And in order to get through dense vegetation to their nests, small birds make peculiar grass tunnels up to 50 cm long. Tristan rails feed on insects, but will not refuse berries or seeds.

Previously, the Earth was inhabited by even smaller flightless birds than the Tristan rail. Thus, Stephen's bush wrens lived on Stephens Island. Their habitat was also free from predators until the lighthouse keeper's cat appeared there and destroyed the entire species.

Environmentalists fear that the Tristan rail may also develop enemies that will exterminate its small population. But today these birds are threatened only by periodic flooding of their nests.

Kakapo

This large bird, the kakapo, or owl parrot (Strigops habroptilus), is the only parrot that, in the process of evolution, forgot how to fly. It lives only in the southwestern part South Island (New Zealand), where it hides in the dense thickets of the forest. It is there, under the roots of trees, that this parrot makes a hole for itself. He spends the whole day in it and only after sunset leaves there to go in search of food - plants, seeds and berries.

Before the discovery of the South Island by European settlers, the owl parrot did not have natural enemies. And since the bird had no need to escape from anyone, it simply lost the ability to fly. Today, kakapo can only glide from a small height (20-25 meters).

At the same time, owl parrots lived next to the Maori, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands of New Zealand, who hunted them, but only caught as many birds as they could eat. At that time, kakapo was a fairly numerous species, but the Maori began to cut down areas of the forest in order to grow kumara sweet potatoes, yams and taro (tubers of this plant) on the freed land. tropical plant are used as food). Thus, they unwittingly deprived the parrots of their habitat.

The number of owl parrots gradually decreased, but the birds found themselves in critical danger with the arrival of European settlers, who brought with them cats, dogs, stoats and rats. Adult kakapo managed to escape from new predators, but they were unable to protect their eggs and chicks. As a result, by the 50s of the 20th century, only 30 owl parrots remained on the island.

From that moment on, hunting kakapo and exporting them from New Zealand was completely banned. Scientists placed some individuals in nature reserves and began collecting their eggs to protect them from predators. In specially designated rooms, kakapo eggs were placed under brood hens, who hatched them as if they were their own. Today the unique bird is listed in the Red Book. Its numbers stopped decreasing and even began to increase little by little.

Although I still remembered about him. Here is more information about this parrot -

While working on the “Secrets of Birds” project, we decided to find out whether all birds fly and why some of the birds have lost the ability to fly. After viewing this presentation, you can get acquainted with flightless birds and find out why they cannot fly.

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Project: “Do all birds fly? Why can't some birds fly? Head: teacher primary classes MBOU – Poluzhskaya secondary school Pinchukova Elena Fedorovna. Performers: 3rd grade students

Flightless birds do not have a keel, a growth on the sternum to which powerful muscles responsible for flight are attached. All flightless birds have either a very small keel or no keel at all. For this reason, their wings are weak, and the birds are not capable of flight.

Ostriches are the largest birds living on Earth. Some of them reach a height of 2.7 meters. Ostriches live on the open plains of Africa. Ostriches feed on seeds, fruits, as well as lizards and insects. Ostriches cannot fly, but they run fast. Over short distances they can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h.

Emus are large flightless birds living in Australia, they reach a height of 2 m. These birds feed on seeds, fruits and insects.

So why don't ostriches fly? Here's why! They are too big, a bird can fly if its mass does not exceed 20 kg, and ostriches weigh 120 kg.

This is interesting! One ostrich egg equals 40 chicken eggs and can support the weight of a person.

Penguins are flightless birds. There is 18 various types penguins. They live only on the coasts of the seas Southern Hemisphere– on islands off the coast of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and southern South America. Penguins are excellent swimmers; they can move in the water at a speed of 30 km/h. Those penguins that live among snow and ice do not build nests.

Emperor penguin- the largest of the penguins. His height is about 1.2 meters and his weight is about 75 kg. When the female lays an egg, the male protects it from contact with the ice by placing it on his own webbed feet. When the chick hatches, the male, having eaten nothing for two months of incubation, goes in search of food, while the female remains with the chick to feed and protect it.

The jumping penguin is so named because it jumps very deftly from rock to rock. Its most noticeable difference is the long crest on its head. Newly hatched Leaping Penguin chicks are covered in soft down. They are helpless, and their parents have to feed and protect them for several weeks.

The donkey penguin makes a sound similar to the cry of a donkey. It is also known as the black-footed penguin.

King penguins live in Antarctica. They can slide on their stomachs on ice at high speed to escape from enemies.

Why don't penguins fly? Penguins used to fly, but more often, hiding from enemies, they hid under water, and gradually their wings lost their feathers and turned into fins.

But that’s not all that these birds can surprise us with. We eat three times a day, but penguins can go without eating for up to three months. A person cannot live without air, and penguins can go without breathing for almost 18 minutes. How interesting!

The kakapo, or owl parrot, is the only parrot that has forgotten how to fly. He lives only in New Zealand, he had no enemies around and did not need to hide or fly away. Kakapo lives in burrows. He spends the whole day in them and only after sunset leaves there to go in search of food - plants, seeds and berries.

The little Kiwi bird also lives in New Zealand and is protected by the state. She has no wings at all.

Kiwi is a small and shy nocturnal bird. The kiwi has an excellent sense of smell, and its nostrils are located at the end of its long beak. Kiwis stick their beaks into the ground to find food.

The Tristan rail, which lives on Inaccessible Island, is the smallest flightless bird in the world. Its length is only 17 cm and its weight is less than 30 g.

So, let's conclude: there are flightless birds on earth. But why don't they fly? 1. Have big sizes and body weight. 2. Because of predators, birds swam more than they flew. 3. There were no predators and birds had no need to fly.

Project: “Do all birds fly?

Why can't some birds fly?

Head: primary school teacher MBOU – Poluzhskaya secondary school

Pinchukova Elena Fedorovna.

Performers: 3rd grade students

U flightless birds there is no keel, a growth on the sternum to which powerful muscles responsible for flight are attached. All flightless birds have either a very small keel or no keel at all. For this reason, their wings are weak, and the birds are not capable of flight.

Ostriches – the largest birds currently living on Earth. Some of them reach a height of 2.7 meters. Ostriches live on the open plains of Africa. Ostriches feed on seeds, fruits, as well as lizards and insects. Ostriches cannot fly, but they run fast. Over short distances they can reach speeds of up to

70 km/h.

Emu – These are large flightless birds living in Australia, they reach a height of 2 m. These birds feed on seeds, fruits and insects.

So why don't ostriches fly?

Here's why! They are too big, a bird can fly if its mass does not exceed 20 kg, and ostriches weigh 120 kg.

This is interesting!

One ostrich egg is equal to

40 chicken eggs and can support the weight of a person.

Penguins - flightless birds.

There are 18 different species of penguins.

They live only on the coasts of the seas of the Southern Hemisphere - on islands off the coast of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the southern part of South America. Penguins are excellent swimmers; they can move in the water with

speed 30 km/h. Those penguins that live among snow and ice do not build nests.

Emperor penguin -

the largest of the penguins.

His height is about 1.2 meters and his weight is about 75 kg.

When the female lays an egg, the male protects it from contact with the ice by placing it on his own webbed feet. When the chick hatches, the male, having eaten nothing for two months of incubation, goes in search of food, while the female remains with the chick to feed and protect it.

Jumping Penguin so named because it jumps very deftly from rock to rock. Its most noticeable difference is the long crest on its head. Newly hatched Leaping Penguin chicks are covered in soft down. They are helpless, and their parents have to feed and protect them for several weeks.

Donkey Penguin makes a sound similar to the cry of a donkey. It is also known as the black-footed penguin.

King Penguins live in Antarctica. They can slide on their bellies across ice at high speed to escape from enemies. .

Adelie Penguins gather in huge colonies, sometimes in one group there are up to half a million individuals.

Why don't penguins fly?

Penguins used to fly, but more often, hiding from enemies, they hid under water, and gradually their wings lost their feathers and turned into fins.

But that’s not all that these birds can surprise us with. We eat three times a day, but penguins can go without eating for up to three months. A person cannot live without air, and penguins can go without breathing for almost 18 minutes. How interesting!

Kakapo, or owl parrot , is the only parrot that has forgotten how to fly. He lives only in New Zealand, he had no enemies around and did not need to hide or fly away. Kakapo lives in burrows. He spends the whole day in them and only after sunset leaves there to go in search of food - plants, seeds and berries.

Small Kiwi bird also lives in New Zealand and is protected by the state. She has no wings at all.

Kiwi is a small and shy nocturnal bird. The kiwi has an excellent sense of smell, and its nostrils are located at the end of its long beak. Kiwis stick their beaks into the ground to find food.

Tristan Shepherd , which lives on Inaccessible Island, is the smallest flightless bird in the world. Its length is only 17 cm and its weight is less than 30 g.

So, let's conclude:

There are flightless birds on earth.

But why don't they fly?

1. They are large in size and body weight.

2. Because of predators, birds swam more than they flew.

3. There were no predators and birds had no need to fly.

There are birds that can fly, and there are also those that cannot fly. And this fact does not prevent them from living peacefully and even enjoying life. Some of them have wings and feathers, it would seem, what else is missing for flight?

There are only two reasons why birds cannot fly. One of them is small bones wings and the absence of a keel, and the second is the heavy weight of the bird.

We invite you to look at our list of birds that cannot fly at all.

#1

Ostriches

Ostriches from Africa. This is the largest of the birds that cannot fly. The main characteristics of ostriches are their large size, speed and muscle strength. Ostriches have a full set of wings with plumage. True, the structure of ostrich feathers is considered primitive, and the plumage itself is quite loose.

Wingspan ostrich about 2 meters, but this is not enough to lift a body weighing from 63 to 145 kilograms into the air. The wings of an ostrich end in two claws (or spurs).

And although ostriches They can't fly, but they are excellent runners. Ostriches can reach speeds of up to 70 km/h. They lay eggs about 5 centimeters in diameter and weighing up to 1.4 kilograms.

#2

Emu

Emu- This big bird, which lives in Australia. The emu is slightly smaller than an ostrich and is quite similar in structure. The emu reaches a height of 1.9 meters, and its weight is up to 55 kg.

Emu just like the ostrich, it runs quite quickly, reaching speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

Emu have small, underdeveloped wings, the length of which does not exceed 20 centimeters. Each wing ends in a small claw. The emu has very powerful strong legs with sharp claws for defense against predators.

#3

Cassowaries

Cassowaries live in tropical forests New Guinea and on nearby islands of australia. This large birds, 1.5 - 1.8 meters high and weighing about 60 kilograms. Cassowaries are the second largest birds in the world, second only to ostriches.

Casauras, like ostriches and emus, run very fast. They are capable of running through the forest at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. They are also good swimmers.

U cassowaries there is a soft and flexible plumage. Their wings are quite primitive, rudimentary, reaching a length of no more than 20 centimeters.

A distinctive feature of all cassowaries is a small growth on the head called a helmet.

Cassowaries rather secretive birds, they live in the depths of forests. During the day they rest, and in the mornings and evenings during twilight they get their food. Apart from humans, the cassowary has no natural enemies.

Cassowaries They avoid people, but if disturbed, they will actively defend themselves. The cassowary has very powerful legs, with which it attacks simultaneously. In addition, on each leg the cassowary has a claw-dagger up to 12 centimeters long, with which it can kill with one blow. That is why the blows of a cassowary can cause severe injuries to a person that are incompatible with life. But this doesn't happen often.

Not all birds can fly; some have lost this ability during evolution. There are no flying species in the penguin order. Other groups contain both flying and flightless birds, such as cormorants and parrots. Flightless birds are usually found on islands where there were no predators at one time. However, these days they can become prey to dogs, mongooses and other predators. Very large birds, such as ostriches, also do not fly, but they run quickly and defend themselves with strong legs.

How birds hover in the air

Typically, when a bird flaps its wings, it moves forward. But some species, such as ospreys, sunbirds and kingfishers, can hang in the air.

Amazing in this regard are the tiny hummingbirds that hover in front of the flower to drink nectar. In this case, the bird seems to be standing on its tail, and its wings quickly describe a figure eight in the horizontal plane. Hummingbirds are able to flap their wings for a very long time and with great frequency due to the fact that their pectoral muscles huge in relation to body size.

When a bird flies forward, thrust is created only by the lowering of the wing, and lift by lowering and flapping. In other birds, lift occurs only when the wing moves downward. When a hummingbird hovers, the body and wings take almost vertical position, In this case, the wings create lift, but not thrust.

Why do eagles soar?

Almost all birds soar from time to time, at least briefly. Even hummingbirds can pause their humming flight to glide from flower to flower on motionless wings.

Heavy birds such as swans and bustards hover only when landing. Small birds generally cannot glide through the air effectively to any extent long time. For many birds, soaring is not only an alternative to conventional flapping flight. Some species of hawks, as well as eagles, pelicans and storks, fly mainly by soaring - gliding upward through the air. Having long wings compared to the body, these birds use rising air currents (if the air is still, it is impossible to fly like that).

Rising air currents exist near obstacles: in the mountains, over hills, cliffs, etc. - here they are small, local. In addition, vast air masses rise when reflected heat from the sun warms the air near the earth's surface. In such a flow, the upward movement occurs in a wide spiral, while the rising air mass forms like a large dome. There are usually no thermal updrafts over large bodies of water or at night. With a few exceptions, soaring birds avoid areas where sea meets land and do not fly in the dark.

In an updraft the bird rises in circles greater height, moves in the desired direction horizontally during a smooth descent, reaches the next stream and rises again in circles. In this way, birds manage to cover a long distance in one day, eventually covering thousands of kilometers.

Birds of prey are excellent fliers. Among them are real aerial acrobats, such as the Hen Harrier, which passes food to its partner in flight. The male and female differ in color, but both have a white tail.
The male throws the prey to the female, who turns upside down to catch it.

Why do seabirds fly so well?

Rising air currents that allow birds to soar over land are absent over the sea. Therefore, birds such as albatrosses, petrels and gannets use a fundamentally different soaring technique.

Seabirds have a special gliding flight that uses the power of horizontal winds and air jets reflected from waves. Air currents near the surface of the water are slower than at altitude. The bird glides from a height almost to the water, then, due to the acceleration from the descent, it soars up and turns sharply against the wind. The wind creates lift, carrying the bird upward into a band of more powerful air currents. Finally she turns around and flies down again.

Birds taking off and landing

For many birds, taking off and landing is the most difficult maneuver. When taking off, the bird must be given strong acceleration to get off the ground or branch. For example, a small sparrow jumps up before taking off and begins to quickly flap its wings. Heavier birds, in order to take off, take a run with their wings spread. Waterfowl run across the water before taking off to gain speed.

The lords of the air, swifts and frigates, are not able to rise into the air from the ground; to take off, these birds fall from a height with their wings spread.

When landing, birds glide using their wings. During landing, their body turns vertically, the bird spreads its tail, and lowers its legs down, putting it forward. The role of a brake when landing in birds is performed by the wing, this is a bunch of feathers on the first finger of the wing.

To land, the bird needs to transform its forward movement and soften the impact on the ground. If the movement does not slow down enough or a gust of wind interferes, the bird may crash.

When landing, the duck flies low over the water and splashes down, braking with its webbed feet and creating reverse stroke to reduce speed. To take off from water or land, the bird creates a flow of air with its wings. So, the dive runs through the water, flapping its wings, until it gains enough speed to lift off the surface.

Swallows in flight

Swallows, in a graceful and long flight, catch insects and touch the water in flight to drink. Pictured here is a killer whale swallow, common in Europe, North America, Asia and Africa. These birds rarely land on the ground, mainly for nesting material. This is done by males, whose tail is longer and the fork on it is deeper than that of females, whose task is to build a nest.

Swallows have very long seasonal migrations: killer whale swallows fly from Norway to South Africa, covering 11,000 km.

When chasing flying insects, swallows change their flight direction almost all the time. Swallows not only eat but also drink in flight, opening their beaks very wide.