The Southern Royal Albatross was once considered one species along with the Northern Royal Albatross, previously known as the “Royal Albatross.” But many bodies, including Birdlife International and the American Ornithologists Union, have recognized that there needs to be some nominal distinguisher, as they are not similar enough to be one type of bird.Ĥ. Though flight distances are hard to record, a Wandering Albatross tagged with a geolocator band was recorded flying 3,700 miles in just 12 days many of these birds will circumnavigate the entire Southern Ocean, sometimes multiple times per year!Ī post shared by Philip Miller Southern Royal Albatross takes third place in the list with a lower-end wingspan much larger than the Wandering Albatross at 114 inches, but a much smaller upper-limit with just 129 inches to their names. So, the Wandering Albatross instead soars over the ocean, catching thermal updrafts to stay in the air to conserve energy. Wings this large would usually take great exertion to flap. Their wings are so large that they can glide over 72 feet before losing three feet of altitude. These enormous sea birds use their wings to glide around the Southern Ocean, landing only to eat and breed. The largest ever recorded wingspan belonged to a Wandering Albatross with a massive 12-foot wingspan. The Wandering Albatross has the world’s largest wingspan, with a minimum length of 99 inches (247.5 cm). Wandering Albatross Image Credit: MZPHOTO.CZ, Shutterstock The 5 Birds with the Largest Wingspans in the World 1. Still, you may wonder what birds have the largest wingspans. Larger wings usually are for soaring, which is when a bird will keep its wings spread while gliding over the ocean, gaining height by flying over thermal updrafts as they move forward.

Some birds’ wings are bigger than others the size and shape of a bird’s wings are determined by where and how long they fly. Even flightless birds have wings, though they’ve evolved for different purposes.

Largest wingspan