A ratite is any bird from a diverse group of large, flightless birds, most of them currently extinct. As opposed to other flightless birds, the ratites have no keel on their sternum – which is the source of their name, from the Latin word, ratis, meaning raft. Without the keel to attach the muscles of the wings, ratites are not able to fly, despite their wings. Some systems view the various families of ratites as orders, but the scheme applied in this case uses the order ‘Struthioniformes’ to denote all ratites. This has been a controversial issue in the classification of the ratites, and there are several schools of thought on the same.

The African Ostrich is the largest of all living ratites. A big member of this species can be as tall as 3 meters, and weigh as much as 159 kilograms. Besides, they can even run faster than a horse. Among the existing species, the Australian emu is next in height, reaching up to 2 meters tall, and weighing about 60 kilograms. Like the ostrich, it is a fast and powerful bird of the plains and woodlands.

The order struthioniformes is a small order, with quite remarkable birds in it. It includes five families, all of which were individually in their own order, until recently. However, modern information and scientific studies have brought them all together in one order. These five families are collectively known as Ratites, and are all flightless birds without a keel on the breastbone. Ratites are all known to largely feed on plants to some selected insects and small animals. The other qualities that members of the sort struthioniformes share are that they usually live on the ground and care of the developing eggs is by and large a responsibility of the male.

Ostriches are commonly found in parts of central and southern Africa, while emus are dispersed in various areas of Australia. Kiwis are to be found in New Zealand. Rheas on the other hand are distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Cassowaries are usually located in northern Australia, New Guinea, and the nearby islands, while Tinamous are common in Southern Mexico and throughout Central and South America.

The habitats of struthioniformes usually vary. For instance, Ratites live in eucalyptus forests, woodlands, grasslands, alpine plains, temperate and subtropical forests, coastal areas, shrub lands, rainforests and deserts. Ratites are raised by humans for their meat and feathers. Their eggs are used as food and as decoration among other uses. A perfect example is the ostrich.

Back in the 18th Century, male ostrich feathers were popular for making hats, which in turn led to increased hunting, and a drastic decline in ostrich populations. This created the need, and subsequent ostrich farming. As a result, man was able to harvest ostrich feathers, eggs, skin and meat from the domesticated ostrich for making hats, feather dusters, leather and for food. Likewise, emu farming became equally popular for similar reasons, and particularly for the emu oil.