The 14 Heaviest Living Birds on Earth 2020

14. Dalmatian Pelican

Dalmatian Pelican
Photo by Shizhao via Wikipedia.org

It is a beautiful bird, colour varies from yellow to purplish, found in Europe, India, China and some countries in Asia. It feeds entirely on fish and spends the most time in lakes, rivers, deltas, and estuaries.
Average Mass: 7.25 to 15 kg
Maximum Mass: 15 kg
Average length: 6.3 ft

13. Andean Condor

Andean condor
Photo by user:ST via Wikipedia.org

Andean Condor is found usually in South America, it has a lifespan of over 70 years and one of the world’s longest-living birds. It is the second-largest flying bird after Kori bastard, it nests at the elevation of up to 5,000 m.
Average Mass: 8.1 to 14.9 kg
Maximum Mass: 14.9 kg
Average length: 4.2 ft

12. Kori Bustard

Kori Bustard
Photo by Kjersti Holmang via Wikipedia.org

Kori Bustard is the largest flying bird in the world, found in throughout southern Africa (mainly in Botswana and Namibia), usually, it appears in grassy areas, plains, lightly wooded savanna, arid scrubs. Kori bustard eats insects include termites, bush crickets, scorpions, grasshopper, locusts, and dung beetles.
Average Mass: 11.4 kg
Maximum Mass: 20 kg
Average length: 5 ft

11. Domesticated Turkey

Domesticated turkey
Photo by Hunter Desportes via Flickr

Domesticated turkey is the Poultry bird, it is descended from turkey, and today found everywhere in the world, and farmed for meat and feather, and many purposes.
Average Mass: 13.5 kg
Maximum Mass: 39 kg
Average length: 4.1 ft

10. King Penguin

King Penguin
Photo by Liam Quinn via Flickr

It is found in Antarctica and largest species of penguin after emperor penguin, it consumes small fishes, krill, and crustaceans. It can dive to over 100 metres.
Average Mass: 13.6 kg
Maximum Mass: 20 kg
Average length: 3 ft

9. Lesser Rhea

Lesser Rhea
Photo by Guerin Nicolas via Wikipedia.org

Lesser rhea also called Darwin’s rhea and is found in the Altiplano and Patagonia in South America. It is an endangered bird only a few thousands of Darwin’s rheas left in South America, it consumes fruits and grasses.
Average Mass: 19.6 kg
Maximum Mass: 28.6 kg
Average length: 3.2 ft

8. Dwarf Cassowary

Dwarf Cassowary
Photo by Gaurav Nalkur via Wikipedia.org

Dwarf Cassowary is the endangered bird due to being hunted for food, habitat loss, and degradation. It consumes food mainly small animals, fruits, and insects, and found in the forest of New Guinea, New Britain and Yapen Island, it will live in lowland and elevation up to 1,300 m.
Average Mass: 19.7 kg
Maximum Mass: 34 kg
Average length: 3.4 ft

7. Greater Rhea

Greater rhea
Photo by Quartl via Wikipedia.org

The greater rhea is found in eastern South America and listed as threatened by the IUCN, and inhabits in a grassland, grass wetlands and variety of open areas.
Average Mass: 23 kg
Maximum Mass: 40 kg
Average length: 4.4 ft

6. Emperor Penguin

Emperor penguin
Photo by Giuseppe Zibordi, NOAA Corps

There are many species of Penguins in the world, the emperor is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin and is a descent of Antarctica, and adapted to the coldest environment, some individual emperor penguin many live up to 50 years of age.
Average Mass: 31.5 kg
Maximum Mass: 46 kg
Average length: 3.7 ft

5. Emu

Emu
Photo by Benjamint444 via Wikipedia.org

Emu is heaviest (5th) and tallest (2nd) bird in the world, can run up to 50 km/h, and they eat a variety of insects and plants, the population is around 700,000. Emus also farmed primarily for their meat, feather, and oil. Emus are primarily found in all part of Australia.
Average Mass: 33 kg
Maximum Mass: 70 kg
Average length: 5 ft

4. Northern Cassowary

Northern cassowary
Photo by Quartl via Wikipedia.org

It is bit smaller than Southern Cassowary and endangered bird with the estimated population of 2500 to 10000 and found in lowland rainforests of the islands of Yapen, Batanta, Slalawati and Northern New Guinea. It has bright red or yellow colour neck and wattle, feet are huge and strong, blue facial skin.
Average Mass: 44 kg
Maximum Mass: 75 kg
Average length: 4.9 ft

3. Southern Cassowary

Southern cassowary
Photo by Michael Schmid via Wikipedia.org

Southern Cassowary is listed as endangered by Australian Population, it has a blue face and neck with stiff, bristly black plumage. This bird found in Indonesia, New-Guinea and north-eastern Australia (tropical rainforest) it prefers elevations below 1,100 m in Australia and 50 m in New Guinea, the population of this bird is over 2500.
Average Mass: 45 kg
Maximum Mass: 85 kg
Average length: 5.1 ft

2. Somali Ostrich

Somali ostrich
Photo by Christiaan Kooyman via Wikipedia.org

Second heaviest living bird also from ostrich species called Somali Ostrich, is mostly found in the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Somalia), the skin is similar to the other ostriches, except some difference including the thighs and skin of the Somali ostrich is grey-blue.
Average Mass: 90 kg
Maximum Mass: 130 kg
Average length: 6.6 ft

1. Common ostrich

Common Ostrich
Photo by Yathin S Krishnappa via Wikipedia.org

The common ostrich is the largest and heaviest living flightless bird native to Africa on the planet, mainly feed on seeds, grass, shrubs, fruit, and flowers. It can run up to about 70 km in an hour and fastest bird on land.
Average Mass: 104 kg
Maximum Mass: 156.8 kg
Average length: 6.9 f

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *