Top 10 Largest Birds In The World!

The small beautiful birds are always around in nature by making sweet sounds. So the chances for thinking about heavy birds seem very little. But there are several flying and non-flying birds with noticeable massive bodies. Below is the list of the 10 largest living birds globally, including both flying and non-flying birds.

10. Great Bustard

The great bustard is one of the largest birds and the only member of the genus Otis. In early times, this species was known as Avis tarda name. This species is omnivorous, taking different foods in each season. Lives up to 10 years of a lifetime. The great bustard breeds in March, and a single male may mate with up to five females. One to three olive or tan colored, glossy eggs are laid by the female in May or June.

9. Wandering Albatross

The wandering albatross, snowy albatross, white-winged albatross is the largest sea bird and has the largest wingspan from the Diomedeidae family, typically ranging from 2.51 to 3.5m. The wandering albatross breeds every other year and lays one white egg with a few spots, which is about 10 cm long. It is one of the most researched and well-known species of the bird. They are night feeders, feeds cephalopods, small fish, and crustaceans. After eating excess, they are unable to fly and stay in water for rest. They can also make shallow dives. A myth that albatross could eat, drink, and mate during flying, only lay eggs on land.

8. King Penguin

King penguins are the king of all penguins and second-largest among other penguins. King penguins are social because of the temperature and circumstances as it helps each other. Its appearance looks like an emperor penguin and swims daily for at least 100kms. This largest bird consumes small fish, mainly lantern fish, and squid and relies less than most Southern Ocean predators on krill and other crust oceans.

7. Lesser Rhea

Lesser Rhea is also known as Darwin’s Rhea, is the 7th largest bird. It has a small head and a relatively big body and neck. It can run fast and refer to as a flightless bird. The males of this species become aggressive once they are incubating eggs. Sharp claws function as weapons on powerful legs to fight with predators to protect the eggs and dig their food. It consumes saltbush, fruits, grasses and stays in the group of 5 to 30 birds for socializing.

6. Greater Rhea

The Greater rhea is the 6^th largest bird and averagely lives around 10 years. In fields and plantations, they don’t like to eat. They have only cereals or eucalyptus as feed, and the greater rhea is quite beneficial for farmers. It will take any large invertebrate to consume after grabbing; its food includes locusts and grasshoppers, true bugs, cockroaches, and other pest insects.

5. Emperor Penguin

The Emperor penguin is the 5th heaviest and largest of all alive penguins. Body fat behind the skin helps to survive in the high temperature. The back portion and the heads are covered with a black waterproof feather that helps to capture as much heat from sunlight. It lives around 20 to 50 years. Its feed includes fish, crustaceans, and cephalphods. And lays only one egg which incubated by a male penguin for two months. Mainly, this species lifespan is almost 20 years but some observations infer their age is 50 years.

4. Emu

The emu is the 4^th largest bird has soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds and found in Australia mainland. Emus don’t sleep continuously at night but in several short stints sitting down. The eggs have an average size of 89 millimeters. Newly hatched chicks are active and can leave the nest within a few days of hatching. They stand about 12 centimeters tall at first. They live for weeks without consuming food. They rarely drink water but take abundant amounts of water when the opportunity comes.

3. Northern Cassowary

This cassowary is the third largest flightless bird, singled wattled with black plumage. It is a shy and solitary bird. Their food consists essentially of fruits and small animals. Like other cassowaries, they make grunting and hissing sounds. The family of the northern cassowary is Casuariidae. Female species lays 3 to 5 eggs and male raises their child alone for nine months.

2. Southern Cassowary

It is a double-wattled cassowary, is the second-largest bird in the world. The eggs of the cassowary measuring 95mms. It consumes the fallen fruit and is capable of safely digesting some fruits toxic to other animals. They also eat fungi, and some insects, and small vertebrates. The blade-like claws are capable of killing humans and dogs if the bird is provoked. The male incubates the egg and raise the chicks alone. They are great swimmers.

1. Ostrich

The ostrich is the first largest bird on earth. Ostrich cannot fly with their heavy wings, but they can run at high speed using their legs. It lay the heaviest eggs weighing about 1.4kg. The bird was lawn all over the world for its feathers, which are decorative and used as feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather products, and its meat is marketed commercially, with its leanness a common marketing point. They mainly consume seeds, shrubs, grass, fruit, and flowers; occasionally, they also eat insects such as locusts.

When the ostrich is eating bird, fill their gullet with food, which is in turn passed down their oesophagus in the form of a ball called a bolus.