The wingspan (or just span) of a bird, is the distance from the left wingtip to the right wingtip. The wingspan of a bird is measured by holding the bird flat on its back and measure the distance between the tips of the longest primary feathers at the end of each wing. Here is a list of the ten largest wingspans of birds:
1. Albatross 11.8 Feet
Albatross’ are one of the largest flying birds on the earth and are known to have the longest wingspan ever recorded. The albatross (genus Diomedea) can be found in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific.
2. White pelican 11.8 Feet
The Pelecanus onocrotalus or better known as the Eastern White Pelican can be found in the swamps and shallow lakes of Africa and southeast Europe through Asia. The White Pelican is protected by the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA).
3. Andean condor 10.5 Feet
The Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus) is a species found in the Andes Mountains and neighboring Pacific coasts of western South America. It is one of the biggest flying land birds in the western hemisphere. The condor is a scavenger and feeds on carcasses of animals like dears and cattle.
4. Whooping swan 9.8 Feet
Whooping swans live in places where there are large bodies of water as their legs are too weak to support their weight for too long when they are young. Whooper swans have a loud and deep call and can fly very long distances. Whooper swans migrate hundreds of miles to northern Europe and eastern Asia.
5. Bearded vulture 9.8 Feet
The Bearded Vulture or Lammergeier breeds on the peaks of mountains in southern Europe, Africa, India, and Tibet. They only lay one or two eggs every winter which hatch during spring. Bearded Vultures are scavengers but they prefer bone marrow so they drop bones from heights to crack them open.