A1_7 Why Can't Chickens Fly?

Abstract

This paper investigates whether the size of an object may affect its take-off velocity and therefore whether this could be one of the reasons the modern chicken can't fly in comparison with its flight capable ancestors. The relationship between the take-off speeds of two birds (v₁ and v₂), with one bird being a factor of B greater than the other (where B>1) was found to be v1=v2(B)^-1/2. Therefore it may be that the modern chickens are incapable reaching the higher take-off velocity required to lift their larger bodies.