Which African safari bird is the heaviest flying bird in Africa?

The kori bustard is the heaviest flying bird in Africa.

Kori bustards live mainly in open grasslands and savannas across eastern and southern Africa. They spend much of their time walking on the ground, searching for insects, lizards, seeds, and small animals. Although powerful enough to fly, they usually avoid unnecessary flights because their large bodies make takeoff energetically demanding.

Adult males are substantially heavier than females. Exceptional males can weigh around 18 kilograms, while females are considerably smaller. This size distinction is one reason the kori bustard is often described as the world’s heaviest flying bird, although some references compare it with the great bustard, whose heaviest recorded individuals can approach similar or greater weights.

The kori bustard is not flightless: it can fly with broad, steady wingbeats and often uses flight to escape danger. It is also Africa’s largest flying bird by mass, a distinction sometimes confused with the ostrich, which is much heavier but cannot fly.