Knowra Ratite Ratite A ratite is a large flightless bird traditionally grouped by its flat breastbone, which lacks the keel that anchors the powerful flight muscles of most birds.
Carina (anatomy) : A ridge on the sternum that anchors major flight muscles in most flying birds. Ratites traditionally lack this keel, the anatomical feature behind their name.
Avian sternum : The breastbone of a bird, supporting the pectoral girdle and often bearing a flight-muscle keel. Its flat form is the traditional anatomical marker of ratites.
Ostrich : A large flightless bird native to Africa and the largest living bird by height and mass. It is the most familiar ratite and the group's largest living member.
Gondwana : An ancient supercontinent that included the landmasses now forming South America, Africa, Antarctica, Australia, and India. Ratite distributions once suggested their ancestors were carried apart as Gondwana broke up.
Island biogeography : The study of how island area, isolation, and habitat shape the diversity of species. Several ratite lineages evolved on isolated landmasses, where distinctive forms could persist.
Palaeognathae : A major bird group containing ratites and the volant tinamous. Modern classification places ratites within this broader evolutionary grouping.
Cursoriality : Anatomical and behavioral adaptation for running, especially on land. Long legs and running ability help many ratites move efficiently without flight.
Emu : A large flightless bird native to Australia and the second-tallest living bird. Its Australian range and running adaptations make it a distinct ratite example.
Vicariance : The geographic separation of a population by the formation of a barrier or breakup of a continuous range. It describes the classic explanation for ratite lineages diverging as southern continents separated.
Holocene extinction : The wave of species extinctions during the current geological epoch, driven largely by human activity. Human arrival contributed to the disappearance of moas and other flightless birds.
Show all 26