8 Birds With Insanely Long Necks

Birds are quite interesting with unique features like feathers, wings, and a beak just to mention a few, but which bird has a long neck?

There are lots of birds in different colors that have long necks, long legs, and beaks which you can find all around the world. However, in this post, I will list some of the names of birds that have long necks.

Plus, you will learn about their;

• Size and shape
• Color
• Behavior
• Habitat

With that said, here are some of the birds with insanely long necks;

1. Roseate Spoonbill
2. White-necked Rockfowl
3. Emu Bird
4. Stork Bird
5. Ruff Bird
6. Heron
7. Cranes Bird
8. Common Ostrich

READ: 5 Most Common Species Of Owls In North Carolina

Let’s dive right in.

1. Roseate Spoonbill

The roseate spoonbill is a social wading bird in the Threskiornithidae family of ibis and spoonbills. Both South and North America have resident populations of it.

Similar to the American flamingo, the roseate spoonbill gets its pink color from canthaxanthin, a carotenoid pigment found in its food. The roseate spoonbill nearly went extinct during the 18th and 19th centuries due to plume hunting.

However, the species’ geographic range has grown recently. And in terms of size, The roseate spoonbill has a body length of 71–86 cm (28–34 in), a wingspan of 120–133 cm (47–52 in), and a weight of 1.2 — 1.8 kg (2.6 — 4.0 lb).

The tarsus is 9.7-12.4 cm (3.8-4.9 in) long, the culmen is 14.5-18 cm (5.7-7.1 in), and the wing is 32.3-37.5 cm (12.7-14.8 in). As a result, the legs, bill, neck, and spatulate bill all appear to be longer than they are.

While reproducing, adults have a naked, greenish head that is “golden buff,” a white neck, back, and breast that is deep pink otherwise, with a tuft of pink feathers in the center.

Its pink hue is due to the carotenoid pigment canthaxanthin in their diet, just like the American flamingo. According to research, Ornithologists have not sufficiently investigated the behavior of the roseate spoonbill.

However, this species eats in shallow fresh, or coastal waters by steadily walking through the water and swinging its bill from side to side, frequently in groups.

It can also sift through the mud with ease thanks to its spoon-shaped bill. The bird eats crustaceans, aquatic insects, frogs, newts, and extremely small fish that are overlooked by larger waders.

Great egrets, snowy egrets, tricolored herons, and American white pelicans must compete for food with roseate spoonbills

2. White-Necked Rockfowl

A medium-sized bird in the Cathartidae family with a long neck and tail is the white-necked rockfowl. The white-necked Picathartes is primarily found in West Africa, from Guinea to Ghana, in rocky forested areas at higher altitudes.

Though populations are frequently separated from one another while their distribution is patchy. The rockfowl often picks areas near streams and inselbergs to call home.

And It doesn’t have a recognized subspecies, although some people think it and the grey-necked rockfowl make up superspecies. And in terms of color, the upper parts and underparts of the white-necked rockfowl are a greyish-black color.

Plus, It has a tail that is extremely long and dark brown, and its thighs are muscular. Except for two sizable, circular black patches that are situated directly behind the eyes, the exposed flesh of the head is bright yellow and almost entirely featherless.

Despite the bird’s habitual silence, certain of its calls are well-known. These rock fowls eat mostly insects, and they also give their young tiny frogs good food.

Following Dorylu’s army ant swarms and dining on insects that the ants flush out are two feeding strategies. Rockfowl mostly hops and bounds through the forest or makes short flights through low foliage.

In short, rarely you will see this species fly over great distances. However, the monogamous white-necked rockfowl builds its nests either by itself or close to other partners, occasionally in colonies with up to eight nests.

With that said, This rockfowl is around 38 to 41 cm (15 to 16 in) long, with an additional 18 cm coming from its particularly long tail (7.1 in).

The adult plumage of rockfowl has little sexual dimorphism, and the sexes cannot be distinguished based only on appearance.

Except for a small layer of fuzz on the forehead, the adult’s head is entirely devoid of feathers, except the chin and throat.

Only a tiny, 2 mm (0.079 in) wide band of yellow skin on the crown separates the two enormous, circular patches of black skin that are slightly above the eye and enclose the ear from the rest of the head’s bright yellow skin.

So, this specie is present only in West Africa, from Guinea to Ghana. And It is locally frequent in southeast Guinea, widespread in Liberia, except the north and northeast, and absent from Sierra Leone.

The species’ present range in Côte d’Ivoire is limited to regions close to the borders with Guinea and Liberia. The bird is also found in Ghana, where it is both common and native to the country’s south-central region.

The entire range of the white-necked rockfowl is about 391,000 km2 (151,000 sq mi). Nonetheless, the species is scattered across this wide range at low population numbers. The species does not move, however, after the breeding season, it disperses widely.

3. Emu Bird

The emu is the largest native bird and the only surviving member of the genus Dromaius. It is the second tallest living bird after its ratite relative the ostrich.

The majority of mainland Australia is included in the emu’s range, but once European settlers arrived in Australia in 1788, the Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island, and King Island subspecies went extinct.

Emus are brown, flightless birds with long necks and legs that can grow as tall as 1.9 meters (6.2 feet).

Emus can run at 48 km/h (30 mph) when necessary, and they are capable of covering enormous distances while foraging on a variety of plants and insects.

Yet, they have been known to go for weeks without eating. Breeding occurs in May and June, and competition for mates among females is frequent. In one season, a female might have multiple matings and lay numerous clutches of eggs.

The male carries out the incubation; during this time, he scarcely consumes any food or liquids and significantly reduces his body weight.

At around eight weeks, the eggs begin to hatch, and the young are raised by their fathers. They take around six months to attain their maximum size, although they can stay together as a family until the following breeding season.

Emu is a significant cultural symbol of Australia and is seen on the coat of arms and several coins. The bird has a significant role in Australian Aboriginal mythology.

READ: What Do You Call A Group Of Owls?

The largest emus can grow to a height of 150 to 190 cm (59 to 75 in), making them the second-tallest bird in the world (after the ostrich).

Emus range in length from 139 to 164 cm (55 to 65 in) from the bill to the tail, with males averaging 148.5 cm (58.5 in) and females averaging 156.8 cm (61.7 in).

After two species of ostrich and two larger species of cassowary, emus are the fourth or fifth heaviest extant bird, averaging a little bit more than an emperor penguin.

Emus weigh between 18 and 60 kg (40 and 132 lb) as adults, with a male and female average of 31.5 and 37 kg (69 and 82 lb), respectively.

Typically, females are broader across the rump and slightly larger than males. The three toes on each foot of the emus are arranged in a tridactyl pattern, which is a running adaptation seen in other birds like bustards and quails.

Each foot of the ostrich has two toes. Emu head and upper neck, top right. A size comparison of an adult human, a mainland emu, and an extinct King Island subspecies is shown in the image at the bottom left (right).

Emu sightings are now rare along Australia’s east coast; nevertheless, the spread of farmland and the availability of water for stock in the interior of the continent has boosted the emu’s range in desert areas.

In Australia, emus can be found in a variety of environments both inland and close to the coast.

The savannah woodland and sclerophyll forest regions are where they are most prevalent, whereas densely populated places and arid regions with annual precipitation of fewer than 600 millimeters are where they are least prevalent (24 in).

Emus typically roam in pairs, and while they can form big flocks, this is an unusual social behavior that results from the necessity for all of them to move in the same direction in search of a new food source.

Emus are nocturnal birds that spend the day foraging, dust bathing, and grooming their feathers with their beaks. Apart from the breeding season, they are social birds who work together to help one another while some graze.

Although they rarely do so unless the area is flooded or they need to cross a river, they can swim when necessary.

4. Stork Bird

Storks are big, long-necked wading birds with long, robust breaks and long, long-legged bodies. They are members of the Ciconiidae family and collectively make up the order Ciconiiformes.

In the past, other families, like those of ibises and herons, belonged to this order as well. In comparison to the herons, spoonbills, and ibises, which are closely related, storks reside in more places and prefer drier conditions.

They also lack the powder that those animals use to remove fish slime. At the nest, bill-clattering is a crucial form of communication while many species migrate.

However, frogs, fish, insects, earthworms, tiny birds, and small mammals make up the bulk of storks’ diets. Also, there are six genera and 19 extant species of stork.

Storks frequently fly by gliding and soaring, which saves energy. Plus, thermal air currents are needed for flight.

The design of Otto Lilienthal’s experimental gliders from the late nineteenth century was influenced by Ottomar Anschütz’s well-known 1884 collection of stork pictures.

The marabou stork, with a wingspan of 3.2 m (10 ft 6 in) and a weight of up to 8 kg (18 lb), shares the title of possessing the greatest wingspan of all extant land birds with the Andean condor.

Their nests can be utilized for many years and are frequently rather enormous. It has been reported that some nests can expand to about 2 meters (6 ft 7 in) in diameter and over 3 meters (9.8 ft) in depth.

Storks are absent from the polar regions, the majority of North America, and significant portions of Australia, giving them a practically global distribution.

With eight and six breeding species respectively, tropical Asia and sub-Saharan Africa are the regions with the highest stork diversity.

Only three species namely the wood stork, the maguari stork, and the jabiru, the highest-flying bird in the Americas exist in the New World.

While one species, the Oriental stork, reaches temperate portions of eastern Asia, and one species, the black-necked stork is present in Australasia, and only two species namely the white and black stork reach Europe and western temperate Asia.

5. Ruff Bird

The ruff is a pot-bellied bird with a long neck. This bird’s breeding plumage features brightly colored head tufts, bare orange facial skin, extensive black on the breast, and the large collar of ornamental feathers that gave rise to its English name.

This species exhibits marked sexual dimorphism; the male is significantly larger than the female (the reeve). The male and female both have primarily white underparts and grey-brown upper parts.

The colorful head and neck feathers are erected as part of the complex major courting show by three different varieties of males, including a unique species that mimics the female, to secure mating opportunities at a lek.

With a small head, medium-length bill, somewhat lengthy neck, and pot-bellied body, the ruff has a characteristic gravy boat appearance.

Its long, variable-colored legs fluctuate in color from pink to orange in adults to dark greenish in adolescents, with some males sporting reddish-orange legs exclusively during the breeding season.

It flies slower and with a deeper wing stroke than other waders of comparable size, and its tail contains white ovals on either side of a thin, indistinct white bar on the wing.

However, the species exhibits sexual differentiation. The average male is substantially larger than the female and has ornate breeding plumage, while a tiny number of males resemble females.

The ruff is a migratory bird that spends the northern winter in the tropics primarily in Africa. It breeds in wetlands in the colder parts of northern Eurasia.

Some Siberian breeders travel up to 30,000 kilometers (19,000 miles) round-trip each year to the West African wintering grounds.

In western Europe, there is only a small amount of overlap between the summer and winter ranges. Ruffs breed in large freshwater lowland marshes and soggy meadows.

It stays away from places of harsh weather and arid tundra, favoring hummocky marshes and deltas with shallow water instead.

The parts that are wetter serve as a source of food, leks may be held on the slopes and mounds, and nesting places are available in the sedge or low scrubby areas that are dry.

According to a Hungarian study, more than one cow per hectare (2.5 acres) of grassland is needed to sustain moderately intensive grazing and increase the number of nesting pairs.

The birds utilize a larger variety of shallow wetlands when they are not breeding, including irrigated fields, lake margins, mining subsidence, and other floodplains Less often used areas include dry grassland, tidal mudflats, and the beach.

Although it is typically much lower, the density can reach 129 people per square kilometer (334 per square mile).

6. Heron

The family Ardeidae includes 72 recognized species of long-legged, long-necked, freshwater, and coastal birds known as herons. Some of these species are also known as egrets or bitterns instead of herons.

Bitterns are members of the genera Botaurus and Ixobrychus and the zigzag heron, or zigzag bittern, of the monotypic genus Zebrilus, which together make up a monophyletic group within the Ardeidae.

Because they are primarily white or have beautiful plumes in their breeding plumage, egrets are often given distinctive names even though they do not belong to a biologically separate group from herons.

Also, Herons have long beaks as a result of evolutionary adaptation. The herons are huge to medium-sized birds with long necks and legs, and they barely show any size of sexual dimorphism.

Although all the species in the genus Ixobrychus are small and several of them roughly overlap in size, the dwarf bittern, which is 25–30 cm (10–12 in) in length, is typically regarded as the smallest species.

The goliath heron, which may reach a height of 152 cm (60 in), is the tallest species of heron. Because of the altered shape of the cervical vertebrae which have 20–21, the necks might twist in an S-shape.

In contrast to most other long-necked birds, the neck can stretch and retract, and it retracts during flying. Compared to night herons and bitterns, day herons have longer necks.

The bottom half of the tibia connects to the long, robust legs, which are unfeathered in almost all species (the exception is the zigzag heron).

And whenever they want to fly, their Legs and feet are held backward. Heron’s feet are long and narrow, with three toes pointing forward and one toe pointing backward.

7. Cranes Bird

The family Gruidae of huge, long-legged, and long-necked birds, or Gruiformes, includes cranes. The 15 species of cranes are all found in three genera Antigone, Balearica, and Grus.

In contrast to the similarly shaped but unrelated herons, cranes fly with their necks extended rather than pulled back. Cranes live on every continent, except Antarctica and South America.

Being opportunistic eaters, they alter their meals according to the season and their particular nutrient requirements. In addition to grains and berries, they also eat tiny rodents, bird eggs, fish, amphibians, and insects.

Cranes normally lay two eggs at a time and build platform nests in shallow water. The young are raised by both parents together until the following breeding season.

Cranes are exceptionally huge birds that are frequently regarded as the tallest flying birds in the world.

They range in size from the demoiselle crane, which is 90 cm (35 in) long, to the sarus crane, which may be up to 176 cm (69 in), although the red-crowned crane is the biggest before migrating, weighing up to 12 kg (26 lb).

They have long necks and legs, sleek bodies, and broad, rounded wings. Although males and females look the same on the outside, males are often a little bigger.

The cranes are found on most of the world’s continents, exhibiting a global distribution. Both Antarctica and, strangely, South America is devoid of them.

The diversity of crane species is greatest in East Asia, where there are eight different species, followed by Africa, where there are five resident species and a sixth that winters there.

Two species can be found consistently in each Australia, Europe, and North America. Of the four crane genera, Balearica (two species) and Leucogeranus (one species) are both restricted to Africa and Asia, respectively.

Grus (which includes Anthropoides and Bugeranus) and Antigone, on the other hand, are both widely distributed.

8. Common Ostrich

The common ostrich sometimes known as the ostrich or just the ostrich is the biggest extant bird species and is a flightless bird species that are native to some major regions of Africa.

The only surviving member of the genus Struthio in the ratite order of birds, it is one of just two species of extant ostriches.

The second is the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), which BirdLife International identified as a separate species in 2014 after first classifying it as a different subspecies of the ostrich.

The Struthioniformes order includes ordinary ostriches. Previously, all ratites, including kiwis, emus, rheas, and cassowaries, were members of the order Struthioniformes.

The flighted tinamous are the sister group to the extinct moa, according to phylogenetic analyses, which have indicated that it is the sister group to all other Palaeognathae members.

It has a long neck and legs that give it a striking appearance, and it has the greatest land speed of any bird. It can run for an extended period at a speed of 55 km/h (34 mph) with brief bursts up to roughly 70 km/h (40 mph).

Their eyes are claimed to be the largest of any land vertebrate, measuring 50 mm (2 in) in diameter, helping them to see predators at a vast distance thanks to the long neck and legs that keep their head up to 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) above the ground.

Also, the eyes are shielded from incoming sunlight. Despite the birds’ enormous size, the head and bill are very modest; the bill measures 12 to 14.3 cm (4+34 to 5+34 in).

Common ostriches typically hibernate in couples or by themselves. Only 16 percent of frequent sightings of ostriches included more than two animals.

Ostriches live in migratory flocks of five to 100 birds during the breeding season and occasionally during exceptionally dry spells.

These flocks frequently move alongside other grazing animals like zebras or antelopes. Ostriches are nocturnal but can be active at night when the moon is out and are most active in the morning and evening.

Between two and twenty square kilometers (34 and 7+34 square miles) make up the male common ostrich’s territory.

Conclusion

There you have it: Birds with long necks. Birds with long necks tend to eat more easily than short neck birds.

And for birds that can not fly but do have long necks like ostriches, Emus to mention a few utilize their long necks to spot predators from afar.

Also, aquatic birds with long necks like Herons, storks, and cranes utilize their long flexible neck to catch food quickly. However, birds having long necks is a plus to their amazing abilities.