Worlds Largest Bird

Everyone knows that the male African Ostrich is the worlds largest bird. But did you know that they have recorded to stand 9 feet tall and weigh 345 lbs! These fat daddy's are also the fastest land bird and can run at speeds up to 40 MPH.

Worlds Largest Wingspan

The wandering albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird. One very old male specimen had a span of 11 feet and 11 inches

Worlds Smallest Bird

The adult male "bee hummingbird" of Cuba is only 2.24 inches long. That's WITH the bill and tail! They only weigh 0.056 ounces.

The Fastest Flying Bird

The title for the highest speed for which any bird has been reliably clocked goes to the Peregrine Falcon. In a 45 degree dive during a territorial display one bird was recorded at 217 MPH!

The reader should note that diving is not really flying in the truest sense. A dead pigeon dropped from an airplane would probably break 80 mph! Thanks to Layne Baker for pointing this out to me.

Fastest Wing Beat

The wing-beat of the Sun Gem, a hummingbird found in South America, is 90 beats per second. PER SECOND!

Oldest Bird

The greatest age for which a bird has been reliably recorded is 120 years old in the case of a Sulfur- Crested Cockatoo. "Cocky" lived and died at the London Zoo.

Highest Flying Bird

A Ruppell's vulture collided with a commercial aircraft over the Ivory Coast at an altitude of 37,000 feet! The plane was damaged but managed to land safely. The vulture didn't make it. Feather remains were used to make a positive ID.

A mallard collided with a jet over Nevada at 21,000 feet. The jet crashed killing all aboard. I have to assume that the poor duck didn't make it either.

Worlds Largest Chicken

The largest chicken ever was a White Sully named "Big Snow." This rooster tipped the scales at 23 lbs and 3 0z!

Best Egg Layer

Chicken # 2988 laid 371 eggs in 364 days at the University of Missouri in an official test.

In 1971, a hen at Hainsworth Poultry Farm in NY laid an egg that contained 9 yolks!

Worlds Largest Chicken Egg

The largest chicken egg was laid by a Black Minorca in England. The 5 yolk egg weighed nearly 12 ounces. It was 12 1\4 inches around the long axis and 9 inches around the short axis.

The heaviest chicken egg was laid by a White Leghorn in NJ. The double yolk and double shell egg weighed 16 ounces.

Worlds Heaviest Turkey

A stag turkey named "Tyson" had a dressed weight, let me repeat that, a DRESSED weight of 86 lbs!!! It was auctioned off for charity and was bid at $7,480.

Did You Know...

...that the Sooty Tern remains continually aloft for 3 to 10 years as a sub adult before returning to land to breed? IT NEVER LANDS during this time! It eats, drinks, and even sleeps on the wing.

...that the longest flight ever by a chicken was 630 feet and 2 inches? Ahhhh...when chickens dream.

...that an ostrich's eye is larger than its brain? Duhhh...no wonder they bury their heads in the sand (actually ostrich's don't do this).

...that there is a poisonous bird from New Guinea called the Pitohui? The Pitohui contains a toxic alkaloid similar to that of the poison arrow frog on its feathers and skin. It is the only example known of a poisonous bird. Thanks to Joe Roder from Mississippi State College of Vet-Med for this cool information.

Much more bird trivia coming soon! Check back often.

Turn off the music here

Song playing = "Sakura"

LAST UPDATED: 7:56 PM 7/11/99