Evolution Made Ridiculous Flightless Birds Over and Over

Watching an ostrich sprint across the plain like a mean two-legged dust mop, you might think a mistake has been made. Surely this isn't one of evolution's prouder moments? But new genetic evidence says that the group of birds including ostriches, emus, and other ungainly birds all came from flying ancestors. They lost the ability to fly not once, but over and over again. Something must have been working. The ratites are a group of birds that includes the ostrich and emu, as well as the kiwi, rhea (like a smaller, South American ostrich), and cassowary (with a bright blue face and what looks like a toenail on its head). There were also the moa of New Zealand and the elephant bird of Madagascar—gigantic Big Bird types that went extinct within the past several hundred years, likely due to humans. The birds themselves are pretty obvious, but the story of ...