rudimentary body parts, those that are smaller and simpler in structure than corresponding parts in ancestral species, are called vestigial organs. those organs are functional in the ancestral species but are now either nonfunctional or re-adapted to a new function. examples are the pelvic girdles of whales, halteres (hind wings) of flies, wings of flightless birds, and the leaves of some xerophytes ("e.g." cactus) and parasitic plants ("e.g." dodder).