on titles

Listen: the kiwi, New Zealand's national bird, is probably the most famously "small and flightless" animal of the Aves class. But since so many of you have been clamoring for me to explain why I chose the name I did, here is a list of flightless birds, and their sizes:

• Cassowary: huge
• Rhea: large
• Dinornis [extinct]: enormous (largest bird that ever lived)
• Dodo [extinct]: turkey-sized
• Emperor Penguin: large (for penguins)
• Rockhopper Penguin: small
• Jackass Penguin: small
• Kakapo: up to 2 ft long
• Emu: large
• Kiwi: small
• Moa [extinct]: huge
• Ostrich: quite large

There are two things to notice. One is that small flightless birds are either kiwis, rockhoppers, or jackasses; the other is that flightless birds in general show a marked tendency toward extinction.

Take from that what you will.