What is the largest living bird by height?

The ostrich is the tallest living bird, reaching about 2.8 metres in height. It is also the heaviest living bird, with large males weighing more than 150 kilograms.

Native to Africa, the ostrich is a flightless ratite with long, powerful legs built for running rather than flying. It can sprint at roughly 70 km/h, making it one of the fastest animals on land. Its long neck and upright posture give it much of its remarkable height.

Cassowaries, rheas, and emus are also large flightless birds, but none is as tall as the ostrich. The extinct elephant birds of Madagascar were taller or heavier than modern ostriches, but they no longer exist. Ostrich eggs are also the largest eggs laid by any living bird.