Top 10 Largest and Heaviest Flying Birds of India

India is home to some of the largest and heaviest flying birds in the world, giant with a wingspan of any other birds. The largest species of flying birds in India includes Indian Peacock,Himalayan Vulture and Great Indian Bustard.

Sarus Crane

The Sarus crane is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent and tallest of the flying birds of India. Sarus cranes lives in agricultural lands eating insects grasshoppers, aquatic plants, fish and frogs.

Great Indian Bustard

The great Indian bustard is a very large bird and ranked among one of the heaviest of the flying birds in the world. Indian bustard is critically endangered by hunting and loss of its habitat, common on the dry plains of the Indian subcontinent.

Himalayan Vulture

The Himalayan vulture or Himalayan griffon vulture is an Old World vulture and one of the two largest Old World vultures and true raptors. Griffon vulture is a giant vulture and largest and heaviest bird found mainly in the higher regions of the Himalayas.

Great Hornbill

The great Indian hornbill is the largest members of the hornbill family found in Indian Sub-Continent. Great pied hornbill is the heaviest but not the longest Asian hornbill and is the state bird of Kerala and Arunachal.

Greater Adjutant

Greater Adjutant is the largest member of stork family, found mainly in India. This large stork is a scavenger bird and its largest colony in found in Assam.

Spot Billed Pelican

The Spot Billed Pelicans are huge birds and second largest bird amongst the pelicans family breeds in inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes of Indian Subcontinent. Like most other pelicans, it catches fish in its huge bill pouch while swimming at the surface.

Greater Flamingo

The Greater Flamingos are the largest of all species found in parts of Africa,Europe and coastal regions of Indian Sub-Continent. Like all flamingos this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud and resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water.

White Bellied Sea Eagle

The white-bellied sea eagle is a large diurnal bird of prey closely related to Sanford’s sea eagle and considered a super species of the family Accipitridae. White-breasted sea eagle is one of the largest bird of prey of Indian Sub-Continent and also ranked in top 20 largest eagle species in the world.

Indian Eagle Owl

The Indian Rock Eagle Owl is the species of largest horned owl found in the Indian Subcontinent and found in hilly and rocky scrub forest. Bubo bengalensis are the largest of the owls heavily built with powerful talons they are recognizable by their size.

Indian Peacock

The National Bird of India is a larger sized bird native to Indian Sub-Continent but also introduced in many other parts of the world. Male peacocks are among the largest and heaviest representatives of the Phasianidae and brightly coloured bird.

There are more large birds found in India, local and migratory such as Siberian Crane, Osprey, Black eagle, lammergeier, White Rumped Vulture, Lesser frigatebird, Egyptian vulture, Brahminy Kite, Mute Swan, Indian Black Ibis, Eurasian spoonbill, Eastern great egret and Indian grey hornbill.

More Species of Big Flying Birds of India:

Cinereous Vulture

Cinereous Vulture also known as monk vulture is the largest species of raptorial birds found in India and also the largest vulture. Distribution and habitat of cinereous vulture include hilly, mountainous areas of Rajasthan and semi open habitats of Karnataka.

Painted Stork

The Painted storks are large wading bird found in the wetlands and the Himalayas in the Indian Subcontinent and flocks in shallow waters along rivers or lakes. Stork has a heavy yellow beak and feed in groups in shallow wetlands.

Lesser Adjutant

Lesser Adjutant is another large wading bird from the stork family, found from India through Southeast Asia. The lesser adjutant is confusable species with the greater adjutant.

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle are dark brown with lighter golden color plumage birds, found in northernmost India. The eagle generally found in the Himalayan region of Ladakh but also spotted at Desert National Park of Rajasthan.

Bearded Vulture

Bearded Vulture or lammergeier is a true bird of prey, lives and breeds in high mountains of India. Lammergeier bird is a scavenger and spend his time from november to June in the Indian subcontinent.

Crested Serpent Eagle

Crested Serpent Eagle is a bird of prey, found in the wild forest of the Indian Subcontinent. This dark brown eagle is a reptile eater and hunts for snakes and lizards on wet grassland.

Asian Open bill

Grey Heron

Grey Heron is one of the largest species of wading bird from heron family along with purple heron. The grey heron and purple heron are long legged predatory water birds, found in the wetland areas and around lakes.