What is the largest living bird in the world?

The largest living bird in the world is the ostrich. The common ostrich, Struthio camelus, is both the tallest and heaviest living bird, with large males reaching about 2.8 metres in height and more than 150 kilograms.

Ostriches are flightless birds native to Africa. Their powerful legs are built for running rather than flying, and they can reach speeds of roughly 70 kilometres per hour. Unlike most birds, an ostrich has only two toes on each foot; the large inner toe bears a hoof-like claw that helps deliver powerful kicks.

The ostrich also lays the largest eggs of any living bird, averaging around 1.4 kilograms. Its eyes are exceptionally large, helping it spot predators across open landscapes. People sometimes confuse “largest bird” with “largest wingspan”: the wandering albatross holds that distinction, while the ostrich wins by overall height and mass. The answer remains simply “ostrich” in ordinary quiz usage, although zoologists distinguish the common ostrich from the closely related Somali ostrich.