Birds are very adorable animals of various shapes and sizes. Flying gives birds the ability to migrate around the world (although today some birds can not fly). Starting from the North Pole to the south pole can be found anywhere. Do you know the world's largest bird or the heaviest bird in the living world? Here is a list of the 10 largest and heaviest birds in the world.
1. Ostriches
Ostriches are the largest birds that live on Earth. With an average weight of 104 kilograms and an average height of 2.1 meters of ostrich can run at high speed with strong long legs. Ostriches can spawn with the largest weight of about 1.4 kg. Historically the ostrich is an African bird. But this bird is also found in Australia and America.
Ostriches consume mainly fruits, grass, flowers and even reptiles like snakes, lizards when occasionally available. Male ostriches are a good dad because they help build nests, incubate eggs and take care of their children.
2. Southern Cassowary
South cassowary is the second largest bird in the world with an average weight of 45 kilograms and an average height of 1.55 meters. This bird can not fly like an ostrich.
This bird is found in tropical rainforests of Indonesia, New Guinea, and the islands of northern Australia. This bird feeds on fruits, insects and vertebrates. Southern male cassowaries incubate the eggs and their own children.
3. Northern Cassowary
The northern cassowary has black fur but can not fly. The northern female cassowary is slightly larger than the males weighing an average of 44 kg, making it the third heaviest bird in the world. This bird is found on the islands of Yapen, Batanta, and Salawati. Fruits and small animals are included in the main diet.
4. Emu birds
Emu, yang relatif dekat dengan spesies kasuari, berasal dari Australia. Burung nasional Australia ini memiliki berat rata-rata 33 kilogram. Emu dapat mencapai ketinggian 2 meter sehingga membuatnya termasuk yang tertinggi kedua di antara burung lainnya.
Emu memiliki tiga sub-spesies. Dua sub-spesies yang novaehollandiae dan woodwardi secara luas ditemukan di beberapa tempat di seluruh negeri di Australia. Diet utama terdiri dari buah, biji, serangga, beberapa makhluk mati seperti tikus, burung, serangga dll.
5. Penguin Emperor
Emperor penguins dominate all other species by weight and length. This bird has a weight of about 31 kg (more than half of it is fat). The body fat behind the skin helps her to survive in extreme Antarctic winter (up to -65 degrees C).
Emperor penguins can grow up to 1.1 meters. The back and heads of the emperor penguin are covered with black waterproof feathers that help him to capture as much sunlight as possible. The front of his body is covered by white waterproof feathers. The neck of the male and female emperor penguins has bright white whitish feathers.
Emperor penguins can live about 20 years in the wild nature. In ideal conditions this bird can live up to 50 years. Emperor penguins live only around the sea in Antarctica. His weight and body length put the emperor penguin in the 5th largest bird in the world.
6. Great Rhea
The great rhea is another South American bird that can not fly. This bird has an average weight of 23 kilograms. Large rhea can be found in Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia. A large rhea can reach up to 1.3 meters high and weigh 40 kg. The average large rhea can live about 10 years in the wild. The body and construction of a large rhea resemble a small rhea. The only thing that is different is the size and mass of the body. The great rhea is the largest bird in South America and the 6th largest bird in the world.
7. Dwarf cassowary
The dwarf cassowary weighs an average of 19.7 kilograms and an average length of 1.05 meters. This is the smallest of all cassowary species. This bird is mainly found in the forests of New Guinea, New Britain, and Yapen Islands. The dwarf cassowary is a solitary bird and paired with males in the breeding season. This bird mainly feeds on insects, small animals, and falling fruits. The dwarf cassowary can not fly but with strong legs can run up to speeds of 48 km / h.
8. Little Rhea
The little Rhea, also known as the Darwin rhea, is a bird that can not fly. This bird is mainly found in the southern part of South America (Chile, Bolivia, Argentina, Peru). Small rhea can reach height of 1 meter and weight 28 kg. The small rhea has a small head and a relatively large body and neck. Despite his inability to fly, he can run at speeds of 60km / h. Sharp claws on 2 strong legs help to fight predators, protect eggs and dig for food. Little rheas survive by eating fruits and grass. During the mating period, the male rhea becomes very aggressive to protect its territory. Rhea Darwin is ranked eighth among the world's top 10 birds.
9. Big Bustard
The big bustard is the world's heaviest flying bird. One male bustard specimen weighs 21 kg. The average height of a male bustard is about 1 meter and the wingspan is 2.4 meters. Female bustard is smaller in dimensions than males. Bustards belong to omnivores and take different foods during different seasons. This helped him to live up to 10 years in the wild.
In a controlled environment, large bustards are known to live for up to 15 years. The top and tail of this bird is protected by brown & black wings, while the bottom and head are covered by whitish feathers. Big Bustard is the 9th largest bird in the world.
10. Penguin King
The king's penguin gets 10th place in the list of the world's top 10 birds. As the name implies, the bird is the king of all penguins and the largest of them. King penguin weighs about 14 kilograms and can grow up to 1 meter. King penguins feed on krill, small fish, squid and other small marine animals. The harsh climate and extreme temperatures of the south forced the king's penguins to become social.
Penguin kings are very social and help each other to gain heat during the ice storm. Penguin kings can dive regularly in the sea with a depth of 100 meters, and the highest record is 300 meters. The king penguins mainly live in Antarctica and some sub-Antarctic islands.