You're Grounded!: A Quiz About Flightless Birds

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Last updated · 10 min play time

From penguins to ostriches, there are many flightless birds all around us. Well, maybe not all around us, but they're there! For whatever reason, evolution led these birds down a path they wouldn't have chosen for themselves. All the trappings of birds without the ability to lift off . They're either too heavy, their wings are too short, or it just wasn't meant to be.

In this quiz, we'll see if your knowledge of these flightless creatures can take flight. Hopefully, with your knowledge, you can do the flying for them! Begin flapping and start answering! 


I'm a 3-time Emmy-winning game show producer, writer, director and published author. I dig traveling, watching hockey, photographing wildlife and exploring the cultural and social fabric of society.

Flightless Bird Quiz Questions

20 Questions · 882 Plays · 3 Comments

Question 1

This Flightless Cormorant is quite unique, as it's the only known cormorant that has lost the ability to fly. Where is the only place in the world that you can find this species?

  • A
    Australian coast
  • B
    East Africa
  • C
    Galapagos Islands
  • D
    California coast

Question 2

In addition to Dodos, Moas were flightless birds that once roamed their way into extinction. Some were 12 feet tall, others were turkey-sized, but all of them lived in what modern country?

  • A
    South Africa
  • B
    New Zealand
  • C
    China
  • D
    Brazil

Question 3

In the canon of flightless birds, the penguin is the superstar. In which of these countries would you NOT find colonies of native penguins?

  • A
    South Africa
  • B
    Argentina
  • C
    Russia
  • D
    New Zealand

Question 4

Though not really flightless, these birds are often thought to be because they stay mainly on the ground, scurrying away from predators. Name these small denizens of South America.

  • A
    Quail
  • B
    Roadrunners
  • C
    Tinamou
  • D
    Juncos

Question 5

A big bird from South America, the flightless Rhea comes in two species: the American or Greater Rhea, and the Lesser Rhea (seen here), also named after what scientist?

  • A
    Audubon
  • B
    Linnaeus
  • C
    Darwin
  • D
    Wilson

Question 6

There is only one species of parrot that can't fly, the one pictured here. Native to New Zealand, what is this species called?

  • A
    Bourke's parrot
  • B
    Kakapo
  • C
    Galah
  • D
    Cockatiel

Question 7

With 16 extant species and 15 extinct ones, what country in the world is home to the most flightless birds?

  • A
    Argentina
  • B
    Tanzania
  • C
    New Zealand
  • D
    Australia

Question 8

The kiwi is flightless, and has some other strange features as well. Which of these statements is NOT true about this New Zealand bird?

  • A
    It has no wings at all
  • B
    Its loose feathers are more like fur
  • C
    Females have two ovaries
  • D
    Nostrils are at the end of its beak

Question 9

The third-tallest and second-heaviest bird on earth is also a flightless bird. Name this species that's known for its blue neck and helmet-like casque that sits above its eyes.

  • A
    Peacock
  • B
    Emu
  • C
    Greater Rhea
  • D
    Cassowary

Question 10

When it comes to penguins, the most famous flightless bird, there are 18 different species, only 8 of which live in Antarctica. Which species does NOT live on that continent?

  • A
    Gentoo
  • B
    Adelie
  • C
    Humboldt
  • D
    Emperor

Question 11

Technically, Big Bird from Sesame Street is a flightless bird, and the biggest bird you'll ever see. How tall does Big Bird stand?

  • A
    6'8"
  • B
    8'2"
  • C
    7'2"
  • D
    5'11"

Question 12

The myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand to avoid danger is just that: a myth. What is the common explanation for this alleged behavior?

  • A
    They clean their eyes out in the sand
  • B
    They lay eggs in holes in the sand to lay eggs
  • C
    They touch their heads to the ground when mating
  • D
    They search in the sand for food

Question 13

While most of us are familiar with the common - and very flightless - ostrich, scientists labeled what second type of ostrich as a distinct species as recently as 2014?

  • A
    Reticulated ostrich
  • B
    Snub-nosed ostrich
  • C
    Egyptian ostrich
  • D
    Somali ostrich

Question 14

These extinct flightless birds were members of the family Aepyornithidae, and once lived on Madagascar. Name this species of giant avian.

  • A
    Rhinoceros bird
  • B
    Leopard bird
  • C
    Giraffe bird
  • D
    Elephant bird

Question 15

In the world of science, there's a name for everything. As defined on Wikipedia, what is the term for "any of a diverse group of flightless and mostly large and long-legged birds of the infraclass Palaeognathae"?

  • A
    Ratites
  • B
    Tectites
  • C
    Zaratites
  • D
    Troostites

Question 16

While most flightless birds are fairly large, this little guy is the smallest flightless bird in the world. Found in the South Atlantic Ocean, what family of birds does he belong to?

  • A
    Rails
  • B
    Grebes
  • C
    Cranes
  • D
    Puffins

Question 17

Related to the ostrich, the flightless birds called the Rhea and the Emu are similar, but different. Which of these is NOT a difference between the two?

  • A
    Emu eggs are black, rheas are not
  • B
    Emus live in Australia; Rheas are South American
  • C
    Emus have no nostrils; rheas do
  • D
    The emu has a tuft of hair on its head

Question 18

Just because you're flightless doesn't mean you can't be beautiful. What species of penguin features blue and white feathers instead of black and white?

  • A
    Macaroni penguin
  • B
    Chinstrap penguin
  • C
    Waitaha penguin
  • D
    Little penguin

Question 19

Not only is the Dodo flightless, but it's also non-existent, having gone extinct hundreds of years ago. On what island were Dodos found before their disappearance?

  • A
    Cyprus
  • B
    Mauritius
  • C
    Zanzibar
  • D
    Madagascar

Question 20

No, Rodrigues Solitaire is not a lonely man's card game, but rather an extinct flightless bird once native to the island of Rodrigues, near Madagascar. What family of birds did it belong to?

  • A
    Doves
  • B
    Eagles
  • C
    Gulls
  • D
    Storks

Comments (3)

We want to hear your feedback! Share your scores and discuss the quiz, but keep it civil.

Hard but easy 2nd time.

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@criss

· · · ·

It sucked big-time

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