Jeff R Clow/Getty Images
Ostriches are tall. They can be 9 feet tall. Who is the tallest person you know? An ostrich is taller than that person!
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The Biggest and Smallest Birds
Some birds are taller than people. Others are as small as your thumb. Birds come in all sizes. Meet two that will amaze you!
By Meg Richardson
From the March/April 2026 Issue
Learning Objective: Students will compare and contrast the biggest and smallest birds.
Lexiles: 420L
Featured Skill: Compare Two Texts
Standards
Biggest Bird: Ostrich
Tall Bird
Giant Eggs
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Ostriches hatch from HUGE eggs. Each egg is almost as big as your head.
Dad ostriches dig wide pits in the dirt. That is the nest. There can be 78 eggs in one nest!
On the Move
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Ostriches are flightless birds. They have wings, but they can’t fly. Instead, they run very fast. Zoom!
Smallest Bird: Bee Hummingbird
Little Bird
Karine Aigner/NaturePL.com
Bee hummingbirds are just so tiny! They are about 2 inches long. That is about as long as your thumb.
Tiny Eggs
Yerandy1990/Wikipedia Creative Commons (Nest); Burwell and Burwell Photography Contractor/The United States Mint (Quarter)
Bee hummingbirds hatch from mini eggs. Their eggs are as small as peas.
Their nests are the size of a quarter. The nests are made from soft plants and spider silk.
On the Move
Kevin Schafer/Alamy Stock Photo
Bee hummingbirds fly fast. Their wings flap 80 times per second! Can you flap your arms like a hummingbird?
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Activities
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Skills Activities
Answer Key
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Text-to-Speech