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Home » Just For Fun

Strongest Bird In The World

Submitted by on March 26, 2010 – 8:19 am15 Comments
Talons from The Life of Birds

Talons from The Life of Birds

What is the only bird on the Telegraph’s strongest living creatures list?

The Telegraph based their top 10 list of strongest living creatures on power to weight ratio. The only bird that made this list was the African Crowned Eagle.

African Crowned Eagle by Martin Harvery

African Crowned Eagle by Martin Harvery

David Attenborough describes the African Crowned Eagle:

This bird is huge! Nearly three feet long and it can kill prey over four times its own weight.

The African Crowned Eagle can have a wingspan of up to 6.9 ft 5.9 ft (180 cm). Its diet consists mostly of primates, but this bird has been known to occasionally prey on small antelope!

Below is a link to a video clip of David Attenborough describing the African Crowned Eagle in his documentary called The Life of Birds. I must warn you that the video does include the bird hunting monkeys. I know some may not want to see that.

[The Life of Birds - Meat Eaters]

Want to see who else made the list? Head over to the Telegraph’s gallery of strongest living creatures to find out!


  • David

    the Harpy and Philippine Eagles are considered the largest and strongest birds of prey on the planet. these giant are capable of taking lifting large prey as large as monkeys and deer using their massive legs and claws.

    I think your wingspan measurement in INCORRECT on average it only measures 5.7 feet to 6 feet and weighs 2.8 to 4 kg. African crowned eagle is a forest eagle their wings are short for their size just like the Harpy and Philippine eagle with short wingspan for their body size BUT Broad with rounded edge wings and a long squared-off tail an adapataion for quick turns, maneuverabilty in flying, hunting in thick forest.

    Yes It can take Large prey even larger than Harpy and Philippine eagles prey NOT because these two Large eagles are not capable of doing the same – killing large prey IT's just those large prey are not available to their homerange.

    Golden eagles are also as powerful as any large eagle almost the same size with African Crowned eagle taking a mountain goat which is much heavier than itself.
    link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-ibdPMGC1Y&feat… African crowned can only lift/carry prey equivalent to a third of it's own bodyweight

  • Bert

    I stumbled upon this forum… for the strongest birds of prey!

    http://www.carnivoraforum.com/index.cgi?board=v…

  • http://www.burdr.com Andrew

    Some great photos, thanks for the link!

  • http://www.burdr.com Andrew

    Thanks so much for the information and the link to the video! Once I read your comment, I looked around at other places and it seems that the majority has a wingspan of 5.9 ft not 6.9 ft.

    So thanks a lot!

  • alex

    Eagles are among my favorite birds of prey and The greatest of the forest eagles according to Sir David Attenborough…link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6obBN-CQtp4&feat…

  • Erin2s

    african crowned eagles are topped by the harpy eagle

  • cheetah

    african crowned eagles are topped by the harpy eagle in power and weight

  • cheetah

    i love the harpy eagle. philipine eagles are critically endangered, only 130 left!

  • David

    Philippine eagles NEVER really had a large population like other large eagles they are truly RARE even the English explorer John Whitehead who discovered the specie in 1896 had missed it in his first expedition and was force to go back to the Philippine islands to replenish his collection of specimen w/c were lost to a fire and discovered this GIANT eagle w/c was never seen before and It's the most remarkable specimen among all his discoveries.
    There are about 300-500 pairs left in the wild.(Source:Philippine eagle Foundation)

  • The Harpy Lover

    WTF dude this is not the strongest eagle in the hole world the Harpy Eagle is the strongest eagle of all time and it will always be the strongest eagle! No Bird can match th Harpy Eagle!

  • David

    FYI: Harpy Lover- The Harpy eagle is the most powerful eagle (Theoretically) But this has to be proved objectively. Harpy eagle is basically is a sloth eater more than 80 % of it’s diet are small birds like parrots and small monkeys like the Capuchin monkey, Harpy’s biggest prey taken on record was a 17 lb Two toed sloth and a 15 lb Howler monkey.
    Philippine eagle feeds on colugos, civets, macaques, large birds, large snakes, monitor lizards and small dogs and pigs the Largest prey taken to it’s nest was a 30 lb deer also on record taking an adult female macaque carrying in one leg and the amazing thing It attacks a large python! – a feat you ca never find to Harpy eagle. SO Philippine eagle is more POWERFUL than Harpy eagle more ferocious too.

  • David

    FYI: Harpy Lover- The Harpy eagle is the most powerful eagle (Theoretically) But this has to be proved objectively. Harpy eagle is basically is a sloth eater more than 80 % of it’s diet are small birds like parrots and small monkeys like the Capuchin monkey, Harpy’s biggest prey taken on record was a 17 lb Two toed sloth and a 15 lb Howler monkey.
    Philippine eagle feeds on colugos, civets, macaques, large birds, large snakes, monitor lizards and small dogs and pigs the Largest prey taken to it’s nest was a 30 lb deer also on record taking an adult female macaque carrying in one leg and the amazing thing It attacks a large python! – a feat you ca never find to Harpy eagle. SO Philippine eagle is more POWERFUL than Harpy eagle more ferocious too.

  • Treb_turner09

    im not sure about that, i guess the phillipine eagle

  • borka

    I personally think that the strongest eagle might be Glen Stuart

  • Heinz

    The most powerful eagle! – It’s the Philippine eagle It can take large snakes like cobra, pythons and monitor lizards also feeds on macaques, flying lemurs, large birds such as hornbill, hawks and owls, small deer, dogs and pigs.