Ratite
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
(rt´t), common and general term for a variety of flightless birds characterized by a flat, raftlike sternum rather than the keeled sternum, designed to support flight muscles, typical of most birds.
Ratites
The Ostrich, Struthio camelus, is a large flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East). It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio.
[edit] Ratite anatomy and characteristics
Ratite birds are strictly flightless and their anatomy reflects specializations for terrestrial life.
Ratites
Distribution
The shading illustrates the diversity of this group - the darker the colour the greater the number of species. Data provided by WWF's Wildfinder.
The ratite group includes such flightless birds as the emu, rhea, and kiwi. "Ratite" comes from the Latin word, ratita, a flat-bottomed boat (without a keel).
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The emu is a ratite of Australia second in size among living birds only to Africa's ostrich. Emus are capable of running up to 30 m.p.h. when alarmed or threatened.
Zoo Diet
: Ratite maintenance diet, apples, carrots, romaine lettuce, oyster shell/insoluble grit.
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New fossil ratite (Aves: Palaeognathae) eggshell discoveries from the Late Miocene Baynunah Formation of the United Arab Emirates, Arabian peninsula. Palaeontologia Electronica 9(2A):1-13.
Bledsoe, A. H. 1988.
MOA, apparently the Maori name of the extinct Ratite birds in New Zealand, comprising the group Dinornithes (cf. Bird: Classification; and Ratitae).
The Kiwi is the smallest member of that group of birds called the ratites, the group that contains the world's largest birds, the emu, rhea, ostrich and cassowary, as well as the extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and the Moas of New Zealand.
The Kiwi is another member of the Ratite family of birds that includes: Cassowary, Emu, Ostrich, Rhea of South America and the extinct Moa. Flightless with only rudimentary wings and tailless, Kiwis are found only in New Zealand.
It is part of a group of birds called ratites, which are big birds that do not fly. The other ratites are the ostrich from Africa and the rhea from South America.
Flightless and Loving it: Their adaptation to a terrestrial life is extensive: like all ratites they have no keel on the breastbone to anchor wing muscles, ...
Ostriches belong to a clan of flightless birds called the ratites. Ratites have a smooth breastbone which lacks a keel.
The rheas belong to a group of birds known as ratites which includes the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) from Africa, the Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) and Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) from Australia and kiwis (Apteryx spp.) from New Zealand.
Volume 1 Ratites to Ducks. Part B Australian Pelican to Ducks. Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
NSW Scientific Committee (1998) Black-necked stork - Endangered species determination - final. DEC (NSW), Sydney.
Pizzey, G. and Knight, F. (2003).
The emu is flightless, and like other "ratite" birds (large flightless birds including the ostrich, cassowary, rhea and kiwi) it does not have a keel, used in flighted birds for anchoring flight muscles.
They belong to the Ratite Family like the Emu, Ostrich, Rhea and Kiwi. They are fruit-eating (frugivore) animals that disperse over a hundred species of rainforest trees and vines.
The Common Rhea (also called the Nandu) is a large, flightless bird from forests of South America. This ratite is the largest bird in the Americas. The common rhea is a fast runner; when it runs, its neck is almost horizontal to the ground.
Kiwi
A chicken-sized insectivore from New Zealand; the smallest ratite.
Kookaburra
A large bird from the islands of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Or go to a kookaburra quiz -- or the answers.
Ostrich
Africa Bird Guide Information: The ostrich (struthio camelus) is a member of a group of birds known as ratites, that is they are flightless birds without a keel to their breastbone...
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The Southern Cassowary, Casuarius Casuarius, also known as Double-wattled Cassowary, Australian Cassowary or Two-wattled Cassowary, is a large flightless black bird. It is a ratite and therefore related to the Emu, Ostrich, and the Rhea genus.
Psittacosis can infect a variety of species including humans, birds, cows, cats, goats, sheep, and pigs. Among the bird species, it will infect just about anything with feathers including pet birds (psittacines), ratites, pigeons, poultry, ducks, ...
 See also: Tinamou, Pigeon, Parrot, Flamingo, Penguin
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