6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds

One of the most admired creatures in the animal kingdom are the birds. They come in a variety of forms, sizes, and colors and, as such, they have been immortalized in practically everything -from company logos to government and political party emblems, to fashion designs and accessories, kitchen wares and a host of other stuff. The most notable, of course, is the dove which has been an endearing symbol of the elusive peace!

While some are gentle and can be raised as a pet, some are just so scary and dangerous and are better left untouched and undisturbed in the wild. 

Here are the top ten most dangerous birds:

1.Cassowary (Casuarius) southern cassowary

The cassowary is usually considered to be the world’s most dangerous bird, at least where humans are concerned, although ostriches and emus can also be dangerous.

Cassowaries are shy and they are usually hard to spot, at least in their natural rain forest habitats. They are not overly aggressive, and attacks are rare. But they can do a lot of damage if they are provoked or angered. Cassowary attacks have occasionally been deadly, including a recent one which occurred in 2019, at a private collection of caged birds in Florida.

2. Ostrich (Struthio camelus) ostrich © Xavier Marchant/Fotolia. 

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a large flightless bird that lives in Africa. They are the largest living bird species, and have the biggest eggs of all living birds. Ostriches do not fly, but can run faster than any other bird.

They are ratites, a useful grouping of medium to large flightless birds. Ostriches have the biggest eyes of all land animals.

3. Emu (Dromaius [or Dromiceius] novaehollandiae) emu with chicks. 

The emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is the second-largest living bird by height, after its ratite relative, the ostrich. It is endemic to Australia where it is the largest native bird and the only extant member of the genus Dromaius. The emu's range covers most of mainland Australia, but the Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island and King Island subspecies became extinct after the European settlement of Australia in 1788.

Emus are soft-feathered, brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs, and can reach up to 1.9 metres (6.2 ft) in height. Emus can travel great distances, and when necessary can sprint at 50 km/h (31 mph); they forage for a variety of plants and insects, but have been known to go for weeks without eating. They drink infrequently, but take in copious amounts of water when the opportunity arises.

4.Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus) 

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus), also known as the lammergeier and ossifrage, is a bird of prey and the only member of the genus Gypaetus. This bird is also identified as Huma bird or Homa bird in Iran and north west Asia. Traditionally considered an Old World vulture, it actually forms a minor lineage of Accipitridae together with the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus), its closest living relative. It is not much more closely related to the Old World vultures proper than to, for example, hawks, and differs from the former by its feathered neck. Although dissimilar, the Egyptian and bearded vulture each have a lozenge-shaped tail—unusual among birds of prey.

• 5.Great horned owl (Bubo virginianus)

• Great Horned Owls are nocturnal. You may see them at dusk sitting on fence posts or tree limbs at the edges of open areas, or flying across roads or fields with stiff, deep beats of their rounded wings. Their call is a deep, stuttering series of four to five hoots.
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• Look for this widespread owl in woods, particularly young woods interspersed with fields or other open areas. The broad range of habitats they use includes deciduous and evergreen forests, swamps, desert, tundra edges, and tropical rainforest, as well as cities, orchards, suburbs, and parks.

• 6.Barred Owl (Strix varia)
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  The rich baritone hooting of the Barred Owl is a characteristic sound in southern swamps, where members of a pair often will call back and forth to each other. Although the bird is mostly active at night, it will also call and even hunt in the daytime. Only a little smaller than the Great Horned Owl, the Barred Owl is markedly less aggressive, and competition with its tough cousin may keep the Barred out of more open woods.