In Ark: Survival Ascended, flying dinosaurs are must-haves for their superior mobility and ability to traverse The Island compared to their grounded counterparts. Critical for scouting missions or just getting from one place to another quickly and safely, most people’s first flying tame will be a massive step up from whatever grounded mount they’d likely be using up until that point.
While there aren’t as many flying creatures currently in ASA as there were in Evolved, there is still a wide variety of different species one can find, with most of them being tameable. In addition, over time, more flying dinosaurs should be added to the game, as indicated by the ASA DLC Roadmap, giving people more variety in the kind of flying dino that’s best for them. That said, currently — there are still a bunch of flying creatures to choose from, and some of them are much better than others.
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10 Ichthyornis (Ichthyornis Piscoquus)
Diet: Piscivore
As a creature in the wild, the Ichthyornis is one of the most annoying creatures in ASA due to its tendency to attack characters and steal their food. Aptly named the “Stealgul” to veteran Ark players, this shoulder pet actually has a pretty useful hunt & retrieve ability, which enables it to gather Raw Prime Meat & Raw Prime Fish Meat so that one doesn’t have to grind as much for those materials. Though this feature does make them cool, all of its more annoying features make the Ichthyornis one of the worst flying creatures in ASA.
9 Pteranodon (Pteranodon Wyvernus)
Diet: Carnivore
Pteranodon makes a great early-game flying mount for its speed and ease to tame. While they’re likely to fly away quickly when hit, it’s easier to wait for them to land and take them out with a bola. Though they aren’t as impressive as late-game flying mounts, they make for a great introduction to the skies.
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8 Dimorphodon (Dimorphodon Equesica)
Diet: Carnivore
As a shoulder pet, the Dimorphodon is actually one of the better options, as its attack prowess is higher than most other creatures of its kind, with a base attack of 23 damage. Found all across The Island in pretty plentiful quantities, the Dimorphodon is remarkably good at tracking down enemy players in PvP, especially as it’s just a shoulder pet.
7 Terror Bird (Phorusrhacidae Rapidesultor)
Diet: Carnivore
Though a bit of a meme, the Terror Bird is one of the most sought-after (and hilarious) mountable and tameable creatures in ASA. Though capable of temporary flight or what some would even call a glide, they make up for their lack of verticality with their impressive ground speed. So fast, in fact, that often they are used for scouting parties to get more intel on neighboring tribes. Terror Birds can often be found in clusters in the center of The Island, so taming one shouldn’t be too difficult with the right equipment and level.
6 Tapejara (Tapejara Imperator)
Diet: Carnivore
Larger than its cousin, the Pteranodon, the Tapejara flies high over the skies and is one of the rarer creatures on The Island, though it can be found in multiple locations across the world. Because they fly so high up and rarely come down to earth to land, taming a Tapejara can be a struggle without another flying mount’s aid. That said, once tamed, they make for one of the game’s faster flying mounts, making them super useful to look out for.
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5 Onyc (Onychonycteris Specuncola)
Diet: Omnivore
The Onyc is a monstrous, giant flying bat that’s one of the more disgusting creatures in Ark for those who are not fans of bats in real life. Naturally aggressive and found near caves on The Island, Onyc comes with the Mega Rabies debuff, which can drain both health and stamina. Tameable and breedable but not ridable, this horrifying creature ranks as one of the cooler flying creatures in Ark: Survival Ascended.
4 Giant Bee (Apis Lithohermaea)
Diet: Herbivore
Though not a mountable tame, the Giant Queen Bee is still highly sought after for its ability to generate Giant Bee Honey, which is invaluable, as the ingredient is used as an important ingredient for recipes like Extraordinary Kibble. When tamed, Giant Queen Bees can be turned into a hive, which will then slowly generate Giant Bee Honey over time. Using a flying mount will make taking out the hive much easier.
3 Pelagornis (Pelagornis Miocaenus)
Diet: Piscivore
Though the Pelagornis looks more like a giant pelican just from appearance, it’s actually one of the better rideable flyers in ASA for its ability to land on water and to be used as a platform. While there are other water creatures that would probably be better for these purposes, it’s also a beast when it comes to collecting Organic Polymer.
2 Argentavis (Argentavis Atrocollum)
Diet: Carnivore
The Argy, or Argentavis, is a pretty foundational flying mount people who play Ark: Survival Ascended. A well-rounded flying tame, the Argy can carry small and medium-sized creatures, can used in battle, and has decent speed, though slower than other flyers. The giant bird can usually be found in the Northwest portion of the map, near the tundra biome.
1 Quetzal (Quetzalcoatlus Conchapicem)
Diet: Carnivore
The giant and well-known Quetzal is one of the most useful flying mounts in the game, capable of carrying immense weight. So large, the dinosaur’s back can actually used as a staging ground for a mobile, flying base. Though taming one is much harder than other flying mounts due to its immense size, large health pool, and the fact it never lands, once tamed, the Quetzal will likely be one of the most useful tames in Ark: Survival Ascended for most.
Ark: Survival Ascended
- Franchise
- ARK
- Platform(s)
- PC , PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X/S
- Released
- October 25, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Studio Wildcard , Grove Street Games
- Publisher(s)
- Studio Wildcard
- Genre(s)
- Action , Adventure , MMORPG , Survival
- ESRB
- T
