Undoubtedly, we can say that our planet is home to wonders. We can find birds as small as a bee and birds as big as an elephant in it. Keep on reading to find out which are the biggest birds by size, wingspan or weight.

The biggest birds: size or wingspan?

The biggest birds can be large like the ostrich or have a large wingspan like the Andean condor. These birds are a prodigy of nature because they can fly great distances quickly or have incredible habits.

 

The biggest birds can reach great heights due to their relatively lightweight. Besides, they usually have a small and hollow body that allows them to soar through the heavens. Unfortunately, many of these birds are endangered.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus)

 

The first position among the biggest birds is held by the African ostrich. The ostrich can reach a length of three meters and weigh 180 kg. Their eggs are also the biggest in the animal kingdom. They can weigh 1.7 kg, the same as 24 kg of the hens.

 

These animals live in the African steppes, flat places without high vegetation. This is very convenient for them because they’re running birds. In a place with high visibility, they can run long distances without distraction. In fact, they can run at 60 miles an hour for 30 minutes without stopping.

 

Due to the size of their eggs, they are raised as breeding birds. Although they need specific conditions and are difficult to control, their breeding can be very profitable. On the other hand, African tribes use the eggs of these huge birds as containers to store water.

Emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae)

The emu is a bird native to Australia. After the ostrich, it’s among the biggest birds in the world. It can measure up to two meters and weigh between 35 and 40 kg. Its plumage is dark brown and it has small and rudimentary wings that are not useful for flying.

 

Emus eggs are much smaller than ostrich eggs. They can be up to 13 cm high, but their cover is hard and rough. These birds are not strongly threatened, but their conservation status is not optimal either.

Rhea

This bird lives in South America. It looks like an ostrich but is smaller and has three toes on its legs (the ostrich has only two). It can be as long as 1.8 to 1.5 meters. Besides, it has little sexual dimorphism.

There are two species of rhea, the Greater Rhea (Rhea americana) and the Lesser Rhea (Rhea pennata). Both species are runners and can reach 90 km/h. They can also be polyandrous or polygyny.

Traveling Albatross (Diomedea exulans)

Actually, it is not a huge bird like the birds on the list but it is considered one of the the biggest birds because of its wingspan. The albatross is the biggest bird that lives near the sea. It is 1.30 m high and its size is 3.5 m. and as a fisher bird, its beak is 20 cm long.

 

It lives in the southern hemisphere in subtropical and subantarctic regions. Currently, it is threatened by human activity. There are many efforts to increase its population that hope to save it from extinction.

Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)

 

If the traveling albatross is the largest seabird, the condor is the biggest Andean bird. This incredible bird is on the list of the largest birds because it is 1.4 m long and its wingspan is up to 3.3 m. Despite their size, they usually weigh between 11 and 15 kg.

 

The condor is from South America. It is currently threatened due to habitat loss. It lives in the Andean mountain range, where great efforts are being made for its conservation.

California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus)

 

The California condor is smaller than its southern counterpart. It measures 1.2 m, has a 3 m wingspan and weighs between 9 and 10 kg. Currently, despite efforts to protect it, it is critically endangered.

Great Bustard (Otis tarda)

 

The Great Bustard may not be the biggest bird, but it is the heaviest flying bird. Its record weight is about 21 kg, but they usually weigh between 13 and 13.5 kg. Of course, the males, the females weigh between 4.5 and 5 kg.

 

These birds live in Europe and Central Asia and you can even see them in Spain in large groups! They are not birds that spend a lot of time in the city, but rather live in steppes, meadows or areas with a lot of grass.

 

Unfortunately, this large bird is in danger of extinction and its conservation status is “vulnerable”. Although this is more in Central Asia, in Europe there are more in the wild.

Giant moa (Dinornis sp.)

 

This giant bird lived until the 16th century. Its size could reach up to 3.7 m and it weighed almost 300 kg. Its original habitat was New Zealand and its extinction was probably due to human activity due to colonization.

Elephant Bird (Aepyornis Maximus)

 

This bird is also extinct, but its disappearance occurred in the 17th century. It was a bird native to Madagascar and weighed up to 500 kg. Obviously, they couldn’t fly because of their large size, but they could run like an ostrich.

 

And if the eggs of the big running birds seem huge to you, get ready to find out how big the elephant bird’s eggs were. They could be up to a meter in circumference! Unfortunately, it is difficult to calculate their weight because there are no specimens alive.

Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus)

 

The swan does not look like a bird that would have any record if it were not for the length of its neck. But the truth is it has an incredible wingspan of about 2.5m. These birds can reach up to 12 kg, although the females are slightly smaller than the males.

Common Crane (Grus grus)

 

The common crane belongs to the family of Gruidae so it has its characteristic large size. You can see this great bird in the north and south of Eurasia, depending on the season. They are also seen in North Africa.

 

This bird is characterized by a very long neck and legs. It weighs between 3 and 6.1 kg and can reach 1.3 m. And the fact that we are interested: its wingspan can measure from 1.8 to 2.4 m.

Giant or Steller’s pigeon (Haliaeetus pelagicus)

 

This bird belongs to the family Accipitridae. It lives in Korea, Japan, North China, and the Russian Pacific. It’s one of the world’s biggest birds of prey along with the great harpy. Its size can be up to 2.5 m.

The biggest and more impressive birds

These are the biggest birds that there are in the world. If you want to know more about them, don’t stop following us on our social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). You can also contact us through our website. Remember! At sexadodeaves.com, we are specialists in bird sexing through DNA. In this way, it is possible to define the gender of your bird.