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The great spotted kiwi, aka great grey kiwi or roroa, is the largest species of kiwi and hails from the South Island of New Zealand. Kiwis are flightless birds. These birds face the threat of invasive species in the form of cats, dogs, feral pigs, and stoats. As a result, […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The chubut steamer duck, aka white-headed flightless steamer duck, Falkland steamer duck, or white-headed steamer duck, is a flightless duck that hails from Argentina. These ducks face the threats of habitat loss and destruction at the hands of mining and oil drilling; hunting; trapping; overfishing; recreational activities, that interrupt their […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The kagu, aka cagou, is the only surviving member of the genus Rhynochetos and the family Rhynochetidae. However, recent fossil records indicate a possible additional species, the lowland kagu. These birds hail sporadically throughout the dense mountain forests of New Caledonia. They face the threats of habitat loss and destruction […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The north island brown kiwi, aka northern brown kiwi, can be found in the north island of New Zealand. These flightless birds are a unique and fascinating species. They prefer thick, sub-tropical and temperate forests. However, they can also be found among farmlands, pine plantations, and scrublands. These birds face […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Okinawa rail, aka Yanbaru rail, Yanbaru kuina, or agachi kumira, is a nearly flightless bird that hails only from Yanbaru, the northern part of Okinawa Island in the Ryukyu Islands of southern Japan. They prefer evergreen broad-leaved forests but they also dwell in marshes, grasslands, and cultivated lands near […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The south island takahē, aka Takahē, is a flightless bird that can only be found in New Zealand. The bulk of their population has been translocated to Kapiti, Mana, Maud, Motutapu, and Tiritiri Matangi. This was necessary due to their homeland swamps being converted into farmland. These birds face the […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Galápagos islands have some amazing creatures. One curious critter is the flightless cormorant, aka Galápagos cormorant. These birds can only be found on the islands of Isabela and Fernandina. This cormorant is the only known 1 of it’s species that has lost the ability to fly. Due to overfishing; […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The yellow-eyed penguin, aka hoiho or yellow-crowned penguin, hails from southern New Zealand down to Stewart Island, and stretching even further south to the sub-Antarctic islands of the Campbell & Auckland Islands. These penguins are faced with the threats of habitat destruction and modification; invasive species (and with them predation […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

The Magellanic penguin can be found in Argentina, Chile, and the Falkland Islands. These penguins also migrate as far north as Brazil and Rio de Janeiro. They can be found around bare cliffs, forests, grasslands, headlands, and islands. Magellanic penguins number up to 3,200,000 wild individuals. But their numbers are […]

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This article was originally published on Critter Science.

Hailing from the forests of New Caledonia’s main island, in the South Pacific, the kagu is a unique nearly flightless bird indeed. Its colors are not typical of other ground-dwelling birds, in that they are brighter and less muted and they have bright red legs. With less than an estimated […]

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