Largest Egg.

The largest eggs in the world are those of the ostrich. An ostrich egg is the equivalent of around 20-24 chicken eggs.

The largest egg relative to the body size of the bird that lays it is that of the kiwi. The kiwi’s egg is six times the expected size for an egg of a bird of that size. Because of the size of the egg, a clutch consists of a single egg.

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Ostrich

(#86 of 100)

King of My Castle

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus) is the largest eagle in Africa and one of the largest in the world.  It can have  a wingspan exceeding 2.5 meters.

The largest eagle (at least by weight) is Steller’s sea eagle that tip the scales at just shy of 10kg and they can be found in Russia, Korea and Japan.

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Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus).

(#71 of 100)

Flightless and Nocturnal sure, but a Parrot?

There are three surviving parrot species endemic to New Zealand (and a number of parakeets).

They parrot species are:

  • Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) (Image)
  • Kea  (Nestor notabilus)
  • Kakapo  (Strigops habroptilus)

The Kakapo is critically endangered and there are to all knowledge only 126 birds alive globally.

The Kakapo is a strange kind of parrot:

  • it is nocturnal (one of only three parrot species)
  • it is flightless (the only flightless parrot)
  • it uses a lek breeding system (the only parrot to do so)

It is also the worlds largest parrot (by weight) with males weighing over 2kg (and the heaviest ever recorded weighing 4kg).

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Kaka (Nestor meridionalis) on Kapiti Island

(# 57 of 100)