New study finds otriches and other large flightless birds had long

New study finds otriches and other large flightless birds had long-distance flying ancestors Science Oct 11, 2025 3:57 PM EDT

This article originally appeared on The Conversation .

Aside from being a delight to watch, flight in birds is regarded by many cultures as a symbol of freedom, and a source of inspiration for humans to build our own flying machines. This makes those birds that have given up flight for a land-based way of life seem all the more intriguing.

In our new study of a 56 million-year-old fossil bird, my colleagues and I show that the distant ancestors of ostriches and other large flightless birds once flew great distances.

Many flightless birds belong to Palaeognathae , a taxonomic group containing ostriches, rheas, emus, cassowaries and kiwi, as well as the