Tallest extant birds

This is a list of the tallest extant birds according to maximum height. Birds range from a tiny bee hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae), which is only 5–6 cm (2.0–2.4 in), to the giant African ostrich (Struthio camelus), almost 280 cm (9.2 ft) in height.

Rank Image Common name Binomial name Maximum height
1 Common ostrich Struthio camelus 2.8 m (9.2 ft)[1]
2 Somali ostrich Struthio molybdophanes 2.75 m (9.0 ft)[2]
3 Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae 1.9 m (6.2 ft)[3]
4 Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus 1.87 m (6.1 ft)[4]
5 Greater rhea Rhea americana 1.83 m (6.0 ft)[5][6]
6 Southern cassowary Casuarius casuarius 1.8 m (5.9 ft)[7][8]
7 Sarus crane Antigone antigone 1.8 m (5.9 ft)[9]
8 Northern cassowary Casuarius unappendiculatus 1.8 m (5.9 ft)[10]
9 Saddle-billed stork Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis 1.8 m (5.9 ft)[11]
10 Wattled crane Grus carunculata 1.75 m (5.7 ft)[12]
11 Japanese crane Grus japonensis 1.6 m (5.2 ft)[13]
12 Whooping crane Grus americana 1.6 m (5.2 ft)[14][15]
13 Jabiru Jabiru mycteria 1.53 m (5.0 ft)[16]
14 Goliath heron Ardea goliath 1.52 m (5 ft)[17]
15 Marabou stork Leptoptilos crumenifer 1.52 m (5 ft)[18]
16 Black-necked stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus 1.50 m (5 ft)[19]
17 Greater adjutant Leptoptilos dubius 1.50 m (5 ft)[20]
18 Dwarf cassowary Casuarius bennetti 1.50 m (5 ft)[21]
  1. ^ Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 99–101. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
  2. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Struthio molybdophanes". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T22732795A95049558. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T22732795A95049558.en. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
  3. ^ Stephen Davies (2002). Ratites and Tinamous. ISBN 978-0-19-854996-3.
  4. ^ "Greater flamingo" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2008-10-30.
  5. ^ Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Rheas". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 69–73. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0.
  6. ^ Parizzi, R. C., Santos, J. M., Oliveira, M. F., Maia, M. O., Sousa, J. A., Miglino, M. A., & Santos, T. C. D. (2008). Macroscopic and microscopic anatomy of the oviduct in the sexually mature rhea (Rhea americana). Anatomia, histologia, embryologia, 37(3), 169-176.
  7. ^ Davies, S.J.J.F. (2003). "Cassowaries". In Hutchins, Michael. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. 8 Birds I Tinamous and Ratites to Hoatzins (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. pp. 75–79. ISBN 0-7876-5784-0
  8. ^ "Southern Cassowary Species account". Animal Life Resource.
  9. ^ Wood, T.C. & Krajewsky, C (1996). "Mitochondrial DNA sequence variation among the subspecies of Sarus Crane (Grus antigone)" (PDF). The Auk. 113 (3): 655–663. doi:10.2307/4088986.
  10. ^ Davies, S. J. J. F. (2003)
  11. ^ Dunning, John B. Jr., ed. (2008). CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses (2nd ed.). CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4200-6444-5.
  12. ^ "Wattled Crane". savingcranes.org. International Crane Foundation. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  13. ^ del Hoyo, J. Elliott, A. and Sargatal, J.(1996) Handbook of the Birds of the World Volume 3: Hoatzins to Auks Lynx Edicions, Barcelona
  14. ^ Collar, J., Del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A., & Saragatal, J. (1996). Handbook of the birds of the World. Volume 3. Hoatzin to auks. Lynx Edicions.
  15. ^ Soothill, E., & Soothill, R. (1982). Wading birds of the world. Blandford Press.
  16. ^ Hancock & Kushan, Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World. Princeton University Press (1992), ISBN 978-0-12-322730-0
  17. ^ Goliath heron – Ardea goliath. Oiseaux.net (2009-10-25). Retrieved on 2012-08-23.
  18. ^ Likoff, Laurie E. (1986). The Encyclopedia of Birds. Infobase Publishing. pp. 616–. ISBN 978-0-8160-5904-1. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference iucn status 19 November 2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Duffin, C. J. (2012). A survey of birds and fabulous stones. Folklore, 123(2), 179-197.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Davies was invoked but never defined (see the help page).