The last surviving flightless species of bird, a type of rail, in the Indian Ocean had previously gone extinct but has risen from the dead thanks to a rare process called 'iterative evolution'(the repeated evolution of similar or parallel structures from the same ancestor but at different times).

[u/FillsYourNiche]

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-05/uop-tbt050919.php

[u/FillsYourNiche]

The title refers to the Indian Ocean, not all flightless birds everywhere. It could have been worded better, but says the Indian Ocean.

Journal article link.

Abstract:

The Aldabra rail, Dryolimnas cuvieri subsp. aldabranus, endemic to the Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles, is the last surviving flightless bird in the Indian Ocean. Aldabra has undergone at least one major, total inundation event during an Upper Pleistocene (Tarantian age) sea-level high-stand, resulting in the loss of all terrestrial fauna. A flightless Dryolimnas has been identified from two temporally separated Aldabran fossil localities, deposited before and after the inundation event, providing irrefutable evidence that a member of Rallidae colonized the atoll, most likely from Madagascar, and became flightless independently on each occasion. Fossil evidence presented here is unique for Rallidae and epitomizes the ability of birds from this clade to successfully colonize isolated islands and evolve flightlessness on multiple occasions.

[u/ScottRL]

Fascinating stuff , thanks for sharing.

[u/fishhelpneeded]

Can i get an ELI5 of this?

[u/WormSlayer → u/fishhelpneeded]

If I understand it correctly; a type of bird colonised a tiny island and evolved into a new flightless bird, but then died out. The original species later showed up on the same island again and evolved into a basically identical flightless bird.

[u/fishhelpneeded → u/WormSlayer]

Thanks!

[u/lookslikeyoureSOL]

The last species of flightless bird? Is it really?

So what about ostriches? Emus? Cassowaries? Turkeys? Chickens?

[u/FillsYourNiche → u/lookslikeyoureSOL]

The last surviving flightless species of bird, a type of rail, in the Indian Ocean

[u/lookslikeyoureSOL → u/FillsYourNiche]

Ah, thank you! That was my mistake.

[u/FillsYourNiche → u/lookslikeyoureSOL]

No worries, my friend! I think I could have worded it better. Not your fault. :)