These birds have typically evolved over the years to have short, useless wings that cannot fly, birds such as the Ostrich, Emu or Rhea.
All over the world, large, flying birds roam the sky and the sea: vultures, buzzards, swans, etc.
These birds are heavy, ranging from 22 to 44 pounds.
Despite their weight and the constant force of gravity, these heavy birds find a way to fly.
These are the 11 heaviest flying birds in the world!
1. Buzzards (Otis tarda)
Part: Grouse family (related to cranes and rails) Weight: 18-44 pounds/8-20 kilograms Wingspan: Males 7-8 feet/210-250 centimeters Found: Europe and Central Asia
European and Central Asian buzzards take the 1st place as the heaviest flying birds in the world.
The 44-pound birds fascinate ornithologists, who have determined that grouse can migrate more than 2,000 miles.
Bustards are found in habitats such as grasslands or steppes.
During mating season, male buzzards boast a more vibrant color and thin, long feathers near the beak, suggesting a moustache, or moustache!
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Part: Grouse family (related to cranes and rails) Weight: 24-42 pounds/11-19 kilograms Wingspan: Males 7.5-9 feet/230-275 centimeters Found: East and Southern Africa
The world’s largest flightless bird species, the ostrich, lives in Africa.
But it could also be the life of the largest flying bird species – the Kori bustards!
Although most consider European and Central Asian bustards to be the largest flying birds, Kori bustards are quite comparable in size to their distant Eurasian cousin.
Kori buzzards live in African grasslands and savannahs, feasting on plants, berries, snakes and lizards.
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3. Indian grouse (Ardeotis nigriceps)
Part: Grouse family (related to cranes and rails) Weight: 13-40 pounds/6-18 kilograms Wingspan: Males 7-8 feet/210-250 centimeters Found: Few in the Indian subcontinent
Buzzards are the 3rd largest flying bird alive today.
Like its distant pheasant cousins, the Indian pheasant makes its home in the grasslands of the Indian subcontinent, eating an omnivorous diet befitting a bird of this size.
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Part: Waterfowl Subfamily Anatidae (related to ducks and geese) Weight: 21-38 pounds/9.5-17 kilograms Wingspan: Males 6.6 feet/203 centimeters Found: North America
Trumpeter swans are large migratory waterfowl that summer in Alaska and western Canada and winter further south in the continental United States. These elegant, snow-white birds form strong bonds with their mates and often remain loyal until one of the pair dies.
The trumpeter swan is the largest water bird in North America.
The trumpeter swan requires a running start; simultaneously flapping its wings and paddling its legs on top of the water to gain enough speed to take off.
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5. Mute swan (Cygnas olor)
Part: Waterfowl Subfamily Anatidae (related to ducks and geese) Weight: 22-31.5 pounds/10-14.3 kilograms Wingspan: Males 6.8-7.8 feet/207-237 centimeters Found: Throughout the Northern Hemisphere ( North America, Europe, Asia) )
Mute swans are found in North America, but this regal white bird is not native to America.
The mute swan is native to Europe and Asia.
The male mute swan is unique in that the black lump on its beak grows during mating season, making it one of the easiest ways to tell the sexes apart.
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6. Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus)
Part: Waterfowl Subfamily Anatidae (related to ducks and geese) Weight: 16.3-30.8 pounds/7.4-14 kilograms Wingspan: 6.6-9 feet/200-275 centimeters Found: Europe, Central and Northern in Asia.
The whooper swan is another Eurasian bird that migrates extensively between its summer and winter homes.
Some mocking swans have even found a home in North America, but only on the west coast.
These birds settled in America by flying the distance across the Bering Sea.
Instead, their beaks have a long, angled slope that is black and yellow in color.
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7. Andean condor (Vultur gryphus)
Part of the family Cathartidae (New World vultures) Weight: Up to 30 pounds/13.6 kilograms Wingspan: 10 feet/305 centimeters Found: South America, especially in the Andes Mountains
The Andean condor lives high in the Andes Mountains.
These birds like high rocks in part because their large wings catch the warm rising air more easily, allowing the bird to fly with minimal effort.
The Andean condor may not have the widest wingspan, but its wings have the largest surface area.
Part: Family Pelecaniformes, medium- to large-sized seabirds Weight: 23.5-29 pounds/10.5-13 kilograms Wingspan: 10.1-11.3 feet/310-345 centimeters Found: Europe and Asia
The Dalmatian pelican is the largest pelican of the Pelecaniformes family.
The huge wingspan of these birds can reach 11 meters.
These birds often work in groups, casually drifting to the top of the water before dipping their heads below the surface to scoop up fish.
9. Cinereous Vulture or Eurasian Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus)
Part: Old World Vulture Weight: 15-27.5 pounds/7-12.5 kilograms Wingspan: 8-10 feet/250-295 centimeters Found: Europe and Asia
The Cinereous Vulture is the 2nd largest bird of prey, after the Andean condor.
These vultures are found in Europe and Asia.
Part: Old World vulture Weight: 18-26 pounds/8-12 kilograms Wingspan: 9-10 feet/270-300 cm Found: only in Central Asia, especially the Himalayan Mountains and the Tibetan Plateau
The Himalayan vulture is a master of high altitude flight.
This bird is often seen gliding between the high mountains that are home to the world’s highest peaks at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level.
These large birds use their huge wings and pockets of warm air to soar with minimal effort.
Part of the Diomedeidae family of large seabirds Weight: Up to 22 pounds/10 kilograms Wingspan: Males 8.2-11.8 feet/250-360 centimeters Found: Oceans in the Southern Hemisphere
The wandering albatross is quite a remarkable bird.
Breeding pairs tend to mate for life, but raise only one young every other year.
This incredible bird is last on our list, coming in at 22 lbs.
The real impressive feature of this bird is its wingspan.
The Wandering Albatross has a massive 11-12 foot wingspan that makes it easy to glide for hours!