• Question: Why are chickens,penguins and ostriches considered birds if they cant fly?

    Asked by pokemaniac to Emma, Jimmy, Janet, Niall, Simon on 13 Mar 2013.
    • Photo: Emma Ashley

      Emma Ashley answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      They have a beak and their forearms are wings which classes them as birds and they’ve evolved from their ancestors who could fly. Due to their body size and proportions they can’t fly and their wings are big enough to support them flying. I think with chickens, they can fly but they have their wings clipped to stop them from flying.

    • Photo: Niall Crawford

      Niall Crawford answered on 13 Mar 2013:

      They are birds – being able to fly isn’t a definition of a bird (bats and many insects can also fly). Birds are defined as birds by having feathers, being warm-blooded and laying eggs.

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