Birds that fly and birds that don’t
A baby swift is getting ready to fly. Ever since it hatched, its
feathers have been getting longer. Its wings have been growing stronger.
Now, the little bird is ready.
It hops to the edge of the nest. Even though it has never flown, the
swift knows just what to do. It spreads its wings and pushes itself off
the nest with its legs. Air pushes up on the swift’s wings and holds the
little bird up. The swift flaps its wings. Feathers on the ends of the
wings spread out and twist. This pulls air under each wing and pulls the
baby swift forward.
Many birds can fly well the very first time they try. Some birds, such
as sparrows, need a little practice. They flutter weakly out of the
nest. Then they hop about on the ground, flapping their wings for a few
days before they can really fly.
Swifts and sparrows and all the other birds you see every day can fly.
So it may surprise you to learn that there are some birds that can’t
fly.
Ostriches can’t fly. Their wings are just too small to lift their big
bodies into the air.
Penguins can’t fly. Their wings are like a seal’s flippers. Penguins use
their wings for swimming. Penguins can swim as well as fish can.
And the birds called kiwis can’t fly. Their wings are very tiny and can
hardly be seen.
Some of the flying birds are the fastest of all animals. The fastest
bird is the duck hawk. In a dive, it can reach a speed of 200 miles (320
kilometers) an hour!
Chimney Swift
Most birds can fly.
This bird can’t fly.
Kiwi
