Do you know which is the largest bird in the world? It is difficult to name one because the world has over 10,000 species of birth, from smaller to larger. To make things easy, here is a list of the top nine big birds around you, including heavies, tallest and birds with the largest wingspan.
Ostrich: Big Birds
Ostriches are both heaviest and tallest, with almost 160 kg weight and 2.8 meters tall. The largest ostrich ever recorded may reach 2.8 meters in height and 156 kg weight. Due to this size, the ostrich is a flightless bird with the two fastest legs. These birds can outrun several animals with their 69 km per hour speed.
Its long legs are strong enough to use as defense weapons. They can survive without water for several days, extract water from vegetation and generate water internally. Indeed, Ostriches is the fastest bird in the world.
Marabou Stork
The undertaker bird or marabou lives in arid and wet areas of the Saharan Desert near landfills. This huge black bird weighs almost 17 pounds and looks like a marabou is wearing underpants in white.
At four years, marabou reaches sexual maturity and mate for their life. These birds are hunters who prefer to live nearby human settlements. The wingspan of marabou is almost 3.2 meters with 1.5 meters height. Their hollow feet and leg bones act as an adaptation to let them fly.
Emu
Emu is the second largest bird in the world with tiny wings and three-toed feet to make them stable while rubbing. Female emu is larger than males because they may reach 1.9 meters high. They look slightly small, shaggier ostrich and cannot fly like ostriches.
Similar to ostrich, they are the largest and fastest birds. Emu can reach almost 48 kilometers per hour with their tiny wings and feet.
Northern Royal Albatross
There is a steady increase in the number of northern royal albatross. A 10 feet wingspan makes them special in the top 10 biggest birds list. You can find this endangered species on the Chatham Islands, South Island and Taiaroa Head of New Zealand.
The bird weighs almost 16 pounds and feeds on dying or dead fish near the water surface. Northern royal albatross performs mating rituals in the air and over water. You will find their nests made of plant materials over the shoreline. Both females and males incubate eggs and raise their young. They do not mate until the age of eight years.
Wandering Albatross
The wandering albatross is the biggest flying bird in the world, with a 12.1 foot (3.7 meters) wingspan. It is one of the 23 species of albatrosses, and the wandering albatross narrowly beats out the white pelican with 3.6 meters wingspan.
This big bird lives on its wings over the southern seas of the world. Due to their huge wingspan, they can glide for extended distances without flapping their wings. The wandering albatross spends most of its life in the sky and lands only to feed and breed.
CASUARIUS CASUARIUS (Cassowary)
Towering almost 2 meters (6 feet) tall, the southern cassowary is the tallest bird in the world. A projecting helmet, known as casque (made of a thick keratin layer), tops off their height. Because of its prehistoric looks, the cassowary is precious to scavenge through mainland Australia and New Guinea.
Great White Pelican
The great white pelican is on this list because of the 12-foot wingspan. In shallow lakes and swamps from southeastern Europe via Africa and Asia, you can find it. Males may weigh almost 33 pounds, and females weigh only 20 pounds. Breeding may occur in South Africa, Northern Greece, Turkey and Russia.
Andean Condor
The Andean condor is the largest flying bird of prey in the Andes Mountains. It is a national symbol for Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, and Bolivia. The blackbird with some white color weighs almost 29 pounds and rarely flaps its wings once it is air-bound. It can survive for almost 50 years but reaches its sexual maturity at six years.
Harpy Eagle
It is another largest bird of prey found in the lowland’s southeastern tropical forests, Mexico. An adult male weighs almost 12 pounds, and a female may grow almost 20 pounds. These dark grey big birds prey on deer, opossums and porcupines. After viewing their prey, they descend quickly at 50 miles per hour and give a deadly blow to their prey with 5-inch claws.
