Based on this information, you would conclude that the ratites were once regarded as a polyphyletic group but are now believed to be monophyletic .
In the field of biology, such organisms that share common characteristics but they might not belong to a common ancestor make up a polyphyletic group.
On the other hand, such organisms that share a common ancestor and are similar belong to a monophyletic group.
Homoplasy can be described as a characteristic in which there is no direct ancestor. Hence, before, the flightless birds such as kiwi, ostrich were grouped into polyphyletic and now they are grouped into monophyletic.
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