Trivia: The Elephant bird, which inhabited the continent of Africa at one point of time, was the largest bird to ever walk on the planet, standing 10-feet tall and weighing a whopping 1000 lbs. That, however, doesn’t make it less of a threat for smaller birds with whom it shares its habitat. With a wingspan of up to 3.7 meters wide, the wandering albatross (Diomedea exulans) is the largest living bird on Earth by wingspan. While that was all about the largest bird, the smallest bird of prey is the Black-thighed Falconet ( Microhierax fringillarius) found in Asia, with an average beak to tail length of 5.5 – 6.3 inches.

While the Andean condor is enlisted as a ‘Near Threatened’ species in the Red List compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the California condor is enlisted as a Critically Endangered bird. Unsurprisingly, the worlds biggest bird lays the worlds largest bird’s egg. Both are considered among the longest living birds in the world, with a lifespan of up to 60 and 100 years respectively. The California condor is 5 inches longer than the Andean condor in terms of beak to tail length. The Andean condor is the largest species of raptor on the planet and the second-largest wingspan of any bird which spans around 10.5 feet (3.2 meters), according to the San Diego Wildlife. Darwin’s rhea (Rhea pennata), also known as the lesser rhea stands at 90 to 100 cm (35-39 inches) tall. Interestingly, it’s also the heaviest bird of prey in the world, with some specimen weighing as much as 30 lbs being recorded in recent times. Darwin’s rhea (up to 28.6 kg / 63 lb) The largest bird species in the world: Darwin’s Rhea.

This member of the New World vulture family is typically characterized by its black coat with a ruff of white feathers behind its neck. As its name suggests, it is found near the Andes mountains and along the Pacific coast in South America. The distinction of being the world’s largest bird of prey in terms of wingspan goes to the Andean condor ( Vultur gryphus), with its wingspan ranging between 9.2 – 10.5 feet.

Largest bird wingspan