ratite
having a flat, unkeeled sternum, as an ostrich, cassowary, emu, or moa.
a bird having a ratite breastbone.
Origin of ratite
1Words Nearby ratite
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use ratite in a sentence
Modern ratite birds seem to be the exception in their ability to handle similar pressures, he says.
Ancient ‘demon ducks’ may have been undone by their slow growth | Jake Buehler | August 31, 2022 | Science NewsLike other ratite birds it will take to the water, and examples have been seen voluntarily swimming a wide river.
Lastly must be noted the extinct tall ratite species of Aepyornis with its several fancy genera.
The arrangement bears a great resemblance to that of ratite birds.
The Vertebrate Skeleton | Sidney H. Reynolds
British Dictionary definitions for ratite
/ (ˈrætaɪt) /
(of flightless birds) having a breastbone that lacks a keel for the attachment of flight muscles
of or denoting the flightless birds, formerly classified as a group (the Ratitae), that have a flat breastbone, feathers lacking vanes, and reduced wings
a bird, such as an ostrich, kiwi, or rhea, that belongs to this group; a flightless bird
Origin of ratite
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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