Top 15 Largest Birds Living on the Planet
Birds are the last surviving groups of dinosaurs. They are vertebrates and are characterized by feathers, a strong skeleton and toothless beaks. Furthermore, they reproduce by laying hard-shelled eggs.
Most of the birds we see daily are small and often weigh only a few grams. However, some species of birds can be over 2 meters high and weigh about 104 to 156 kilograms. In this article, we will discuss 15 of the largest birds that live on the planet.
Top 15 largest birds living on the planet
Common Ostrich
The common Ostrich is the largest bird in the world. These birds are native to Africa and usually weigh between 63 to 145 kilograms. Some male birds can even weigh up to 156.8 kilograms. Male ostriches are about 2.1 to 2.8 meters high, while female ones are 1.7 to 2.0 meters tall.
Facts about the common Ostrich
- Due to its bulky body, an ostrich can not fly. Thus, it has adapted to life on the ground with amazing agility. Ostriches have large and powerful legs. This makes them fast runners. They can sprint up to 70 km/h. Therefore, the ostrich is known as the fastest animal on two legs.
- Ostriches mainly feed on shrubs, seeds, fruits, small insects, and flowers. They also swallow small pebbles to grind the food they consume in the stomach. An ostrich’s stomach can hold up to 1.3 kilograms of pebbles and sand.
- Ostriches can also survive without water for many days.
- A female ostrich may lay up to 60 eggs per year.
- Ostriches usually live in groups of 10 to 50 birds.
Somali ostrich
The second biggest bird on Earth is the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. They are found in Somalia and northeastern Ethiopia. A male Somali ostrich can weigh up to 130 kilograms.
Facts about the Somali Ostrich
- Unlike the common ostrich, Somali ostriches prefer bushier, thickly vegetated areas.
- They hunt for lizards, snakes, rodents, and locusts. Additionally, they also consume roots, leaves and seeds. Somali ostriches also consume small pebbles to grind food in their stomach.
Southern Cassowary
A Southern Cassowary is the largest Asian and Australian bird, native to New Guinea, Indonesia and northeastern Australia. The bird is about 127 to 170 cm high and weighs about 36 to 50 kilograms (males) and 60 kilograms (females).
Facts about the Southern Cassowary
- The largest Southen Cassowary recorded was 190 cm tall and weighed 83 kilograms.
- Southern Cassowaries live in lowland rainforests, generally at elevations less than 1,100 meters. They prefer an elevation less than 500 m in New Guinea. They usually live in eucalyptus forests, palm scrub, forest swamps, and savannahs.
- Southern Cassowaries mostly feed on fruits that have fallen on the ground as they can not fly. They also eat fungi, insects and small vertebrates.
Originally posted on Largest Birds Living!
