Wings on Flightless Birds

Definition

Wings on flightless birds are examples of vestigial structures. They're remnants from when their ancestors could fly but now serve little to no purpose for flight.

Related terms

Adaptation:

A change or process by which an organism becomes better suited to its environment.

Natural Selection:

The process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to survive and produce more offspring.

Flightless Birds: Birds which through evolution lost the ability to fly. Examples include penguins, ostriches, and kiwis.