Random Most Interesting Birds on Earth (24 items)

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  (#21) Great Frigate Bird

  • Fregata minor

  Great frigate birds are capable of staying in flight for up to 56 days, without ever landing. They can do this partly thanks to having the lowest "wing load" (least amount of body weight distributed over the total area of their wings) of all birds.

  Frigate birds soar in roller coaster-style loops, making atmospheric energy and weather patterns work for them, instead of flapping like crazy.
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  (#20) California Condor

  • Gymnogyps californianus

  The humble California condor has earned its fame because of its homeliness. Its head is completely bald, and its feathers look like a tacky fur coat your grandma bought in 1942. It's a scavenger that usually doesn't hunt, but it's also the largest bird in North America, with an impressive 10-foot wingspan.
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  (#14) Cassowary

  • Casuarius

  Cassowaries are a large, flightless birds, closely related to emus. They are typically timid, but are known to become aggressive if provoked. Despite their regal look, they can be very dangerous birds, able to charge at up to 30 miles per hour and kill aggressors with their sharp claws.
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  (#13) The Atlantic Puffin

  The Atlantic puffin looks like a cross between a parrot, a penguin, and a duck. They are actually not closely related to penguins, but instead are part of a separate family of great swimmers and divers called the auks. The Atlantic puffin is often called the "clown of the sea" because of its brightly colored bill.
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  (#2) Kiwi

  • Apteryx

  The flightless kiwi is part of the family that includes ostriches and emus, despite the fact that it's only the size of a chicken. The kiwi has the largest egg to body size ratio of any bird — it lays an egg that is roughly 6 times the size of a chicken egg.

  A male and female kiwi will remain mates for about 20 years, and the male is usually the one who incubates the eggs.
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  (#1) Philippine Eagle

  • Pithecophaga jefferyi

  This is the world's longest flying bird — about three feet from beak to tail. It's so huge that it eats monkeys.

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