to ripping their guts out, here are 10 of the most dangerous birds in the world. 10.) Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Tailed Hawks are enormous birds commonly found across North America. It can often be seen perched on roadside poles
or soaring over open areas looking for prey from way up high. Hawks are some of the top predators in the
world and typically weigh between 2-4 pounds (0.9-1.81Kg) and have a wingspan of nearly
5 feet.
Hawks have exceptional vision and in fact,
a red-tailed hawk can spot a mouse from 100 feet high! Their eyesight is their main hunting tool
and they have over 1 million photoreceptors per square millimeter compared to us humans
who have about 200,000. Hawks can dive 150 mph through the air and
grab their prey either from midair or off the ground. It will grab its prey with its massive talons
that are capable of crushing small bones. They are keen and efficient predators but
arent ashamed at all about stealing food from others.
Of course they are extremely deadly to their
prey which ranges from everything from small mammals to birds, to reptiles. They are fierce protectors of their nests
and see humans as a threat. If you are caught too close to a red-tailed
hawks nest, it will swoop down and try to scratch your eyes out with its talons. A red-tailed hawk built a nest near a school
and several people were severely injured when they were gashed in the head by the hawks
talons.
Some PE classes were moved inside. 9.) Snowy Owl
The snowy owl is the one of the worlds most beautiful birds. They are known as being the one of the worlds
most northerly bird of prey although in these recent extreme winters we have had the past
few years, snowy owls have even been seen in New York City. These impressive birds breed around the Arctic
Circle in the tundra region.
They can easily survive in the lowest temperatures,
as low as minus 50 degrees. The snowy owl attacks its target very strategically. Their predator list is very short and consists
of Arctic foxes, Jaegers and wolves. The Snowy Owl is a very fierce protector of
its territory and it sees humans as a threat (as well as it probably should).
The thing with most birds of prey is that
they are pretty smart so they adapt their attack strategy depending on the threat. If the target is human, it may go after the
head and the eyes with its razor sharp talons, which can cause serious injuries. They will attack anything that is a threat
to their nest and territory without holding back. If this ever happens to you, protect your
face and run away!! The Snowy Owl typically weighs between 3.5
To 6.5 Pounds and has a wingspan of around 5 feet.
They are daytime hunters and usually eat any
small mammal they can find. An adult owl may eat around three to five
lemmings each day (1,600 per year). 8.) Bearded Vulture
The bearded vulture, also known as the lammergeier, is a pretty intense bird. It is a bird of prey and is known for its
unusual habit of dropping bones or freshly killed corpses on top of rocks to shatter
the bones so they can get to the marrow inside.
Its a little bit creepy as it also dyes
its feathers blood red with soil that contains iron oxide, making it one of the most feared
birds in the animal kingdom. There are people who believe that the bearded
vulture has carried away children for food, however this has never been proven. Its more its fearsome reputation that precedes
it. They can be found in Europe, Asia and Africa
and have a wingspan of about 6-9 feet.
Its name, lammergeier means lamb vulture
in German because that is what it was famous for eating. 80% Of the birds diet consists of bones
and bone marrow. After finding a picked-over carcass, the bird
will drop it from a tremendous height in order to bust it open. These birds are very little danger to humans,
except for their dropping technique.
Not only do these birds pick up carcasses
but they also pick up other animals like large tortoises. If you are around the area when the bird is
about to drop its dinner, you it could be seriously injured or even killed. It is said that the Greek playwright Aeschylus
was killed when a tortoise fell from the sky. Maybe the lammergeier dropped it.
7.) Barred Owl
The Barred Owl is another dangerous owl to look out for. These beautiful brown and white birds can
camouflage themselves quite well and you could walk right by one without even noticing. The Barred Owl is a large, round-headed owl
which is also widespread in North America and prefers to live in forests and woodlands. Its main natural predator is the great horned
owl and it will move away to another part of its territory if one is nearby.
The barred owls have a maximum wingspan of
about 4 feet. One of the most interesting things about barred
owl is their way of flying as they can fly noiselessly. However, this can make them especially dangerous
not only to their prey, but also to humans since you cant hear them coming. They swoop and attack the head of the target
with their razor sharp talons.
They will claw, peck and squeeze their prey
(or their perceived threat). They are known to cause serious head injuries
to humans, especially hikers. They are especially aggressive during nesting
season, like almost every other bird on this list. Barred Owls eat many kinds of small animals,
including squirrels, chipmunks, mice, voles, rabbits, and birds.
They hunt by sitting and waiting on an elevated
perch, while scanning all around for prey. They have excellent hearing and eyesight. Though they do most of their hunting right
after sunset and during the night, they are also known to hunt during the day from time
to time. 6.) Great Northern Loon
The great northern loon is a diving bird which you are probably familiar with.
They are a migratory bird that spends its
summers in North America and Winters in the South along the coast. SO whats the big deal about a bird that
looks like a duck? For one thing they have a dark side. They are known for harassing, attacking and
killing other waterfowl like mallard ducks. They will kill each others babies, and
even each other.
Nature is rough! Kill or be killed! They weigh about 8 to 12 pounds and have razor
sharp and pointed bills to spear apart the fish they eat. They are also known for their signature blood
red eyes and their eerie and haunting call. However, their red eyes are only present in
the summertime, in the winter they are known to have gray eyes. The great northern loons are not social birds
and you are most likely to find them hanging out by themselves.
While these birds are not normally known to
attack humans, it has happened. There are stories where these birds have mistaken
someone for a predator and stabbed them with their bill, once even killing an ornithologist. This was definitely a freak accident, like
the stingray that killed Steve Irwin but if you are not careful, it is possible for these
animals to hurt you. Admire them from a distance! It is important to note that deaths caused
by these birds are extremely rare and that as always, humans are much more damaging to
them than they are to us! 5.) Mute Swan
The mute swan looks like a very peaceful creature, since it is so graceful and beautiful, but
it is actually a very large and territorial bird so be careful! This is especially true during nesting season
when they become even more aggressive.Originally from northern Africa, swans were introduced
to the rest of the world where they have done very well.
If you go near mute swans and they feel threatened,
they will run at you with hissing sounds and strike at you with their strong wings. Considering their size and strength in their
wings, their attack could result in serious injuries, especially to the eyes. They can weigh up to 28 pounds with a wingspan
of almost 8 feet. There have attacked kayakers, swimmers, and
people just walking around lakes.
Michigan is having a big problem with these
birds because they are not afraid of humans and people often get into close contact with
them. As the population grows, so do the conflicts. They are also a danger to native wildlife
and are attacking and killing native birds. A kayaker in Chicago was killed when the swans
knocked him out of his kayak and blocked him from swimming to shore.
The father of two drowned to the shock of
witnesses and police. They are also known to have a great appetite,
eating up to eight pounds of food in a day. Mute Swans mainly eat aquatic vegetation,
along with some animal prey including frogs, tadpoles, fish, snails, mollusks and insects. These birds are also known to be some of the
heaviest flying and most intelligent birds in the world.
Studies have shown that they actually have
facial recognition so if you live in an area with swans be careful because it will know
who its friends and enemies are. 4.) Australian Magpie
Out of all of the dangerous, deadly, venomous creatures that live in Australia, the most
feared animal is the Australian magpie. This medium-sized, black and white bird lives
in grasslands, fields, parks and gardens across most of Australia. In the springtime (Sep and Oct for them) when
nesting period arrives, it is swooping season!! The magpies become extremely aggressive and
locals will start sharing online maps with nest locations so that the next person can
avoid that area!! Magpies will do whatever it takes to protect
their nest and because there are so many of them they are a huge problem.They will claw
at your head and face and try to poke out your eyes.
Cyclists will attach zip ties that stick up
on their helmet so the birds can still swoop, but wont get too close. Each year, Australians suffer from eye injuries
and will fall off their bikes, breaking bones and all kinds of things. Magpies are one of the most intelligent animal
there is and they are able to recognize themselves in a mirror. Because they are able to recognize faces,
they might attack the same person year after year!! Who are the most affected victims you ask? The mail carriers.
Some of them are attacked over 200 times a
day!!!! 3.) European Herring Gull
The European herring gull is a large gull found all over Northern an Western Europe
as well as in the UK and the Baltics. These birds have become such a threat to humans
because they are in such close contact with us and they tend to build their nests in urban
areas. Combined with the fact that they are very
protective of their territory means they have lost their fear of us and have begun attacking
with confidence. Their population has actually been in decline,
probably because of fish population declines but now they have become scavengers.
They are known for stealing food from not
only other animals but humans, which is when they will also attack with their wings and
razor sharp bills. You should keep a safe distance from these
birds because they attack in a team. If one herring gull is alone and being provoked
it will immediately call for help from other adult birds. Alfred Hitchcock vibes anyone? 66-Year-old Sue Atkinson was walking with
her dog when she was attacked.
She was left terrified with blood pouring
from a head wound. It is no joke! The Mirror is calling these gulls Britains
new Public Enemy N1 due to the increase in attacks. The seagulls are getting out of control!! 2.) African Ostrich
This is the largest bird on Earth and the only surviving and remaining ostrich species
in the world after the Arabian Ostrich went extinct. The flightless Ostrich might look comical,
but at 7 feet tall and weighing in at 240 pounds, it can be pretty dangerous.
A scared or angry ostrich can run at a speed
of 43 miles per hour (72.5Km), which also makes them the fastest bird in the world. Their legs are their main weapon. This bird has 2 toes on each foot, which measure
up to four inches in length. They attack humans when they sense any danger
to their young ones or to their territory.
Most injuries are because humans were provoking
the birds. Its strong kick can kill lions and other large
predators so you should avoid scaring an ostrich because if it really wanted to, it could probably
kill you too. A famous ostrich attack story involved Johnny
Cash who kept ostriches on his property. One was extremely aggressive to Cash swung
a large stick at the bird who ducked, and then slashed at his stomach.
He said that if it hadnt been for his belt,
he would have had his stomach ripped open. 1.) Southern Cassowary
This dangerous, flightless bird is native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and
Northeastern Australia. This black bird can weigh more than 130 pounds
and are about 6 feet tall. As you have already guessed, they are highly
protective of their territory.
They have razor sharp spurs and have the strongest
kick force of any animal. In 2007, this bird was declared the most dangerous
bird by the Guinness Book of Records. Each leg has 3 toes equipped with 5-inch-long
razor-sharp claws. So, a single strike from a Southern cassowary
could result in some broken bones, critical injuries, or even death.
The Cassowary will only attack if they feel
provoked and threatened. The way that they attack is one reason that
these birds are so dangerous because they tend to strike in both a forward and downward
direction, which makes it easier to get at your internal organs. Then they can also jump on their victim in
an attack like a velociraptor from Jurassic Park! In the end, humans have killed many more cassowaries
throughout history and we are more of a danger to them, than they are to us. Thanks for watching! Have you ever been attacked by any of these
birds? Let us know in the comments!! Be sure to subscribe and see you next time!!.
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