On Earth there are many impressive animals, both for their skills and their size. When you think of birds, do you think all birds have to be small to be able to fly?
Have you ever wondered what the world’s largest bird on Earth is? or what is the world’s largest extinct bird?
What Is the Largest Flying Bird in the World?
How tall can a bird measure to fly in the sky? What is certain is that the mind-blowing size of planes does not prevent them from being able to fly, but when it comes to animals, these days the size is smaller.
The largest flying bird in the world is the Wandering Albatross (Diomedea exulans), because with its outstretched wings it measures up to 3.5 meters in wingspan and 1.5 meters in height. The albatross is an animal with marine habits that we can have the chance to see in southern and tropical temperatures as well as in Antarctica. This large bird is unfortunately on the verge of extinction.
The second largest flying bird in the world is the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus), which lives on the peaks of South America, especially in the Andes mountain range. With outstretched wings, this large bird measures up to 3.3 meters and weighs 15 kilos. It is also on the verge of extinction, mainly due to the loss of its habitat.
What Is the Heaviest Flying Bird in the World?
Now that you know the tallest bird in the world, it is important that you also know the heaviest flying bird in the world. This is the Great Bustard (Otis tarda), an omnivorous species found in Europe, Asia and North Africa. Its wingspan reaches 2.7 meters for a staggering 18 kg weight, making it the heaviest flying bird in the world. It prefers to live in the steppes and its diet is based on the consumption of vegetables, seeds and herbs to which are added insects, chicks of other birds, frogs and other vertebrates.
What Is the Tallest Bird in the World?
Now that you know that the Wandering Albatross, Andean Condor, and Great Bustard are some of the largest and heaviest flying birds in the world, it’s normal for you to wonder what the tallest bird in the world is any category. confused. But … What is the tallest bird in the world?
The ostrich is the biggest bird in the world! The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is the largest non-flying bird on Earth, as it can measure up to 3 meters and weigh around 165 kilos! Can you imagine him trying to fly? The ostrich’s wings are too small to allow it to launch into the air. Nevertheless, the ostrich is not only the largest and heaviest bird in the world, it is also the fastest bird, indeed, although it is unable to fly, it can run up to 90 km / h!
The second place on the podium of the tallest birds in the world is occupied by the Rhea americana, an ostrich-like bird found in South America. It is also a runner bird that lives in meadows, the American Rhea measures 1.5 meters for a weight of 35 kg.
What Is the Largest Bird in History?
All the birds we mentioned are living birds these days, but what if you take the entire history of Earth into consideration, the largest bird in the world would still be the ostrich? Well no, because before the appearance of mankind the world was filled with large creatures and birds were, of course, not excluded from this characteristic.
Nowadays it is known that the largest bird in the world that has ever existed is the Pelagornis sandersi, the remains of which were found in Argentina. From wing to wing it was 7.5 meters and, despite its staggering size, it was able to fly. The fossil of this bird was discovered in 1983 and studies have revealed that it hovered in the Earth’s skies 25 million years ago. Paleontologist Dan Ksepka assures us that this species launched itself from very high to begin to fly and that it mainly fed on marine animals. The fossil remains are in the Egidio Feruglio paleontology museum in Argentina.
The other large bird that stands out in the history of the planet for its weight is the Titan Vorombe, an endemic species of Madagascar that belonged to the group of elephant birds. The fossils of this species come directly from the Quaternary era. The specimen could weigh up to 650 kilograms and was unable to fly.
What is the largest flying animal in Earth’s history?
We said that the largest bird in history was the Pelagornis sandersi but, was it really the largest flying animal in history? Well no ! During the Upper Cretaceous, there was a flying reptile that measured 12 to 16 meters in length, making it the largest animal that ever crossed the skies. This is the Hatzegopteryx thambema and it was discovered in 2002 in Transylvania.
List of Current Large Birds
In summary, below we show you the list of the tallest birds in the world, regardless of whether they can fly or not. It should be remembered that the length of a flying bird is always measured with the wings extended, end to end, while a non-flying bird is measured at the waist.
- Ostrich: up to 3 meters in height
- Wandering Albatross: wingspan up to 3.5 meters
- Andean Condor: wingspan up to 3.3 meters
- Great Bustard: wingspan up to 2.7 meters
- Rhea: up to 1.5 meters in height
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