Talk:Flightless bird

Suggested edit to the Morphological Differences Section

I noticed that the "Morphological changes and energy conservation" section, talks about key differences between flying and flightless birds but doesn't go into much detail about the importance of the shape of the keel. This is the original text from the mentioned section of the page and everything that is bolded and in italics are my suggestions on what can improve the section. I also included 2 citations that could be useful and an image that shows the anatomy of the rooster sternum, including the keel.

Two key differences between flying and flightless birds are the smaller wing bones of flightless birds and the absent (or greatly reduced) keel on their breastbone. (The keel anchors muscles needed for wing movement.) The shape of the keel corresponds to the potential level of flight the species of bird can possess. The sternum is the start of the pectoral muscles that extend onto the thoracic limbs, which function to pull the limbs towards the front of the body. This motion is used frequently in birds for flying or swimming, causing the pectoral muscles to further develop and resulting in the extended surface down the center of the sternum later known as the keel. The name "ratite" comes from the Latin ratis, raft, a vessel with no keel. Their flat sternum is distinct from the typical sternum of flighted birds because it lacks a keel, like a raft, flightless birds such as the ostrich, kiwi, and emu, lack a keel. This structure is the place where flight muscles attach and thus allow for powered flight.Everyday I'm Buffering (talk) 01:14, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

Artistic anatomy of animals by Cuyer, Édouard; Haywood, George (Page 17)

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Everyday I'm Buffering (talk • contribs) 01:19, 17 May 2022 (UTC)

References