Ratite

Greater rhea
Rhea americana
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain |  Eukaryota
Kingdom |  Animalia
Subkingdom |  Bilateria
Branch |  Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum |  Chordata
Sub-phylum |  Vertebrata
Infraphylum |  Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass |  Tetrapoda
Class |  Aves
Sub-class |  Neornithes
Infra-class |  Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder |  Paleognathae
Population statistics

Ratite (Latin: ratis, "raft") refers to living and extinct birds within the superorder Paleognathae, in which the name alludes to the raft-like, keel-less sternum. Of the species, the tinamous posses the power of flight, albeit in a reduced fashion, while the more familiar kiwis, ostriches, and similar birds are completely flightless.

## Orders[edit]

#### Living ratites[edit]

* Apterygiformes

One family, Apterygidae, found in New Zealand, represented by three species of kiwi.

* Casuariiformes

Two families: Casuariidae, three species of cassowary, found in Australia and New Guinea; and Dromaiidae, one species of emu in Australia.

* Rheiformes

One family, Rheidae, found in South America, and represented by two species of rhea.

* Struthioniformes

One family, Struthionidae, found in Africa, and represented by the ostrich.

* Tinamiformes

One family, Tinamidae, consisting of 47 species of tinamous found in Central and South America.

#### Extinct ratites[edit]

* Aepyornithiformes

One family, Aepyornithidae, represented by nine species of elephant bird, formerly endemic to Madagascar.

* Dinornithiformes

Two families, Dinornithidae and Anomalopterygidae, comprising 19 species of New Zealand moa.

* Lithornithiformes

Family of small, slender-billed birds (Lithornithidae), bearing a resemblance to living tinamous, yet known only from the fossil record.