World's Biggest Birds: Some of These Avians Could Be Bigger Than You

(Photo : Pixabay / cocoparisienne)

There are nearly 10,000 bird species across the world, with various shapes and sizes. Some of the biggest ones can tower taller than NBA players and stretch their wings to cover beyond a king's size bed.

World's Biggest Birds

Wandering Albatross (Diomedea Exulans)

When it comes to wingspan, the wandering albatross tops the list. These sea birds have wingspans of nearly 3.35 meters. Having wings of such size, this means that albatross could soar for prolonged periods in the sky. In fact, there was one bird that was recorded to soar through around 6,000 kilometers in just 12 days.

Albatross have 23 different species. However, all except one are classified as vulnerable to extinction, endangered, or threatened. This is because they end up getting caught by fishing hooks as the scavenge for squid bait and fish.

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Harpy Eagle (Harpai Harpyja)

Dark-gray harpy eagles are among the world's biggest birds when it comes to their weights. An adult female harpy eagle can weigh as heavy as 9 kilograms, while males can weigh up to 5.4 kilograms.

These birds fly across South America, with their 2-meter wingspan carrying their weight as they hunt for prey. When they see their prey, they go down at speeds of 80 kmph and make use of their claws, which span 13 centimeters, to fatally attack their prey.

Ostrich

In terms of both size and weight, the ostrich is the biggest among all of Earth's birds. These massive avians grow up to 2.7 meters in height and can weigh as heavy as 130 kilograms.

Even though their wingspan reaches up to two meters, they cannot fly. Rather, they use wings similar to how ships make use of their sales.

As they fiercely run at a rate of 43 mph, ostriches spread their wings and use them as air rudders for strong steering and braking. Such agility allows them to escape various threats that they face across the African savanna, such as jackals and lions. In some instances, they can take on an offensive stance and make use of their clawed feet to deliver a fatal blow. This blow could be fatal enough for even a lion to be killed.

Cassowary (Casuarius Casuarius)

The southern cassowary towers at a height of two meters and is one of the most ancient-looking birds to roam around mainland Australia and New Guinea. Their height makes them one of the tallest birds on the planet.

To top their height, they have a helmet on their heads known as a casque, which consists of a thick keratin layer. They make use of these helmets for pushing past vegetation as they breeze across forests.

On top of being one of the biggest birds, cassowaries are also known to be one of the most dangerous ones. They are among the few birds that have records of killing humans. Cassowaries make use of their sharp, three-toed feet, with a middle long toe spanning 10 centimeters, to fatally swipe their target.