AnimalsLargest known mass
Heaviest living bird
156.8 kg
345.7 lb
- Record holder
- North African ostrich
What to remember
No living bird outweighs the North African ostrich, also called the red-necked or Barbary ostrich. Its largest known mass is 156.8 kg (346 lb), against an average of 104 kg and an average total length of 210 cm.
It is the nominate subspecies of the common ostrich, found in West and North Africa. As the largest of the ostrich subspecies, it is the largest living bird. A male can stand up to 2.8 metres tall. Naturally, it cannot fly.
A mass of 200 kg is sometimes cited for the ostrich, but no wild bird of that weight has been verified. Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living bird, averaging 1.4 kg. Among flying birds, the widest wingspan belongs to the wandering albatross, at 3.65 m.
Related records
Sources and licences
- Value, holder and date: Wikipedia article “List of largest birds” (revision used 1379703222). Data from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo: M ath K night, Photo licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
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