flightless bird
nounUK /ˈflaɪtləs bɜːd/
US /ˈflaɪtləs bɝːd/
A flightless bird is a bird that cannot fly.
The penguin is a flightless bird that swims instead of flying.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A bird whose wings are too small or weak to lift it into the air.
The ostrich is the largest flightless bird in the world.
3. A bird that lost the ability to fly over time because it did not need to.
On that island, many flightless birds evolved because there were no predators.
4. Any bird that spends its life on the ground or in water rather than in the air.
Penguins are flightless birds that are excellent swimmers.