Crossword puzzles are a fun and engaging way to challenge your knowledge about a wide range of topics. Solving crossword clues requires critical thinking skills and a good grasp of vocabulary. Many crosswords contain clues related to nature and wildlife. One such clue that sometimes appears is: “What bird is rarely seen on the wing?” This refers to a specific type of bird that tends to stay on the ground rather than flying.
What Does “On the Wing” Mean?
The phrase “on the wing” refers to a bird being in flight. So a bird that is “rarely seen on the wing” tends to stay on the ground and does not fly very often. The clue is asking for a type of bird that does not fly frequently and spends most of its time walking or running rather than flying.
Major Groups of Flightless Birds
There are a few major groups of birds that contain species which are mostly flightless and rarely seen in the air:
Ostriches
Ostriches are large, flightless birds that live in Africa. They are the fastest running birds on land, capable of sprinting up to 43 miles per hour. Ostriches use their wings for balance and making quick turns when running, but they cannot truly fly. Their wings lack the strength to get their large bodies off the ground. Ostriches weigh over 200 pounds and can grow up to 9 feet tall. With their massive size and weight, it would take enormous effort for their wings to generate enough lift for flying. As a result, ostriches are almost never seen in flight.
Cassowaries
Cassowaries are large, flightless birds that live in the rainforests of Australia and New Guinea. They can stand up to 6 feet tall and weigh over 100 pounds. Cassowaries are the third tallest and second heaviest living birds. They have small wings relative to their body size which are useless for flight. However, cassowaries use their wings for balance and steering when running through dense forest vegetation. Due to their ineffective wings, inability to take flight, and preference for living on the ground, cassowaries are rarely, if ever, seen on the wing.
Emus
Emus are large, flightless birds native to Australia. They stand up to 6 feet tall and weigh around 100 pounds. Emus have small, rudimentary wings that serve no purpose in flight. Their wings lack the proper feathers and musculature needed to get their large bodies off the ground. Instead, emus utilize their powerful legs for fast sprinting and kicking to defend themselves. Although their wings are useless for flight, emus do sometimes flap their wings when running. But emus are completely terrestrial birds and are virtually never spotted in flight.
Kiwis
Kiwis are unique, chicken-sized birds that live in New Zealand. They have tiny vestigial wings that serve no purpose in flying. Kiwis lack a preen gland which means they cannot maintain wing feathers that are necessary for flight. Their wings have been reduced to small spikes hidden beneath their hair-like feathers. With their diminutive non-functioning wings, kiwis are inherently unable to take flight at all. Kiwis are strictly ground dwellers who never fly.
Penguins
Penguins are flightless seabirds found exclusively in the southern hemisphere. All 18 species of penguins have wings that have evolved for underwater swimming rather than flying in the air. Their wings provide propulsion and steering while swimming. But on land, their short wings do not allow penguins to fly. Their wing bones are dense and stiff, making sustained flight impossible. While they sometimes flap their flippers on land, penguins cannot truly fly and are never seen soaring through the air. This makes penguins a classic example of birds rarely seen on the wing.
Other Candidates
In addition to the major flightless bird groups, there are a few other bird species potentially suitable for the crossword clue:
Weka
The weka is a flightless bird found only on islands off the coast of New Zealand. They are about the size of a chicken. Wekas have vestigial wings that are almost invisible under their brown feathers. Their wings are tiny and lack the proper feathers necessary for flight. Wekas are almost never seen flapping or flying.
Kakapo
The kakapo is a large, ground-dwelling parrot native to New Zealand. It is the world’s only flightless parrot. They have short, rounded wings that they use for balance, but they cannot fly. Kakapos are critically endangered with only around 150 individuals left. Being flightless made them vulnerable to predators. These ultra-rare birds stay firmly on the ground and never take to the air.
Inaccessible Island Rail
The Inaccessible Island rail is a small flightless bird that lives only on Inaccessible Island off the southern coast of Africa. They have tiny wings but show no signs of ever using them to fly. This rare bird’s wings are likely useless for flight due to its remote island habitat lacking predators from which to escape by flying. Its flimsy wings render the Inaccessible Island rail flightless and it stays on the ground, never flying.
Key Characteristics of Flightless Birds
When considering candidates for the crossword clue, there are a few key characteristics of flightless birds:
– Large body size and weight – Heavier birds require more wing power to fly. Many flightless birds tend to be larger.
– Small or absent wings – Wings need adequate surface area, muscles, and feathers to generate lift for flying. Flightless birds often have smaller, weaker wings.
– Wings adapted for other uses – Some flightless birds have wings adapted for swimming, balance, or steering while running. These modifications come at the expense of flight ability.
– Island habitats – Islands with few predators reduce the need to fly away, allowing wings to evolve for other purposes. Many flightless birds live on islands.
– Rarity of flight observed – The species should demonstrate clear adaptations and behaviors showing its inability or reluctance to fly.
The Crossword Answer
Based on the above considerations, the best answer to the crossword clue “What bird is rarely seen on the wing?” is:
Penguin
Of all the options, penguins represent the quintessential flightless bird rarely ever seen in the air. All species of penguin have obviously modified wings that function for swimming rather than any kind of flight. While other candidates like ostriches and kiwis live in habitats with some flighted predators, penguins live in locations like Antarctica with virtually no predatory threats from the air. This reinforced their adaptation to flightlessness. Penguins’ bodies and wings are so specialized for underwater swimming that any attempt to fly would be futile. Relative to other flightless birds, penguins are the least likely to be seen flapping or flying thanks to their wing anatomy highly adapted for an aquatic environment. For these reasons, the answer “penguin” best fits the clue “What bird is rarely seen on the wing?”
Explanation of the Correct Answer
Penguins make the best answer because:
– All species of penguin are inherently and unequivocally flightless, with no capacity for even limited flight
– Their stiff, short wings are perfectly adapted for swimming and diving, but useless for any kind of flying
– Penguins live in habitats like Antarctica where there are no predatory threats necessitating flight as an escape mechanism
– Their wing anatomy of small surface area and dense bones make achieving lift for flight impossible
– They never exhibit any flying behavior or attempts to fly with their flippers
– No other flightless bird is less likely to be seen in the air or exhibiting any form of powered flight
So for a crossword clue seeking a bird that is rarely or never seen on the wing, penguin is the most definitive and satisfactory answer. No other flightless bird species is more obviously or extremely adapted to a flightless existence than the penguin. Their habitat and wing structure render them utterly incapable of flight both physically and behaviorally. For these reasons, penguins are the quintessential flightless bird rarely, if ever, seen on the wing.
Other Correct Answers
While penguin is the best answer, other acceptable answers could include:
– Ostrich – Large flightless bird with wings unsuited for flight. Mostly run to escape predators.
– Cassowary – Flightless bird whose small wings are useless for flying. Lives on the ground in dense rainforests.
– Kiwi – Wings are vestigial with no flight function. Totally terrestrial.
– Emu – Rudimentary, tiny wings make flight impossible for this large ground bird.
So while penguin is certainly the most precise answer, clues asking for a flightless bird could reasonably accept any of the major flightless bird species as correct. But penguin best encapsulates the essence of a bird rarely, if ever, witnessed flying under any circumstances.
Conclusion
In summary, the crossword clue “What bird is rarely seen on the wing?” is best answered with “penguin”. Penguins represent the archetypal flightless bird thanks to adaptations like wing anatomy specialized for swimming over flying, lack of aerial predators, stiff flipper bones, small wing surface area, and complete lack of observed flight behavior. No other flightless bird species comes close to matching penguins’ physical inability and behavioral disinclination to fly. While other flightless birds may occasionally exhibit brief flight, penguins are categorically never seen on the wing due to their biology and environment. This makes penguin the most accurate and definitive answer to the crossword clue seeking a bird rarely or never spotted flying.