Were chocobos always that big?

[WickedRequiem]

Chocobos are humongous in FFXIII. It's probably my memory playing selective rememberance but... were chocobos always that big in FF franchise?

[tiornys]

Chocobos have generally been portrayed as pretty large, roughly horse-sized birds. Here are some images I was able to dig up:
FFVII: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzpg5vGsmc1r9e0zjo1_500.jpg
FFX: http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100420002710/finalfantasy/images/1/1f/Chocobo_s_way-large.jpg
FFXII: http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080420095040/finalfantasy/images/8/83/Miihen_charge.jpg

[WickedRequiem]

http://www.vgfaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Final-Fantasy-XIII-2-Walkthrough-Episode-1-New-Bodhum-Part-2.jpg

Chocobo in XIII series seem much larger than an horse... more like a giraff.

[Lvl1. Slime]

They've always been huge. You need to remember that each game has its unique art style, though.

[tiornys]

Draft horses (according to Wikipedia) range from ~5' 4" to 6' tall (163 cm - 183 cm), or tall enough that the average human's head is approximately level with the top of the horse's back. FFXIII chocobos fit this paradigm: the heads of the characters are about level with the top of the chocobo's backs. In the picture you provided, the chocobo's neck and head are about the same height as the body minus the legs, or maybe another 3-4 feet (90-120 cm).

Giraffes range from 16' to 20' tall (500-600 cm), with about 6.5 feet (200 cm) of that coming from the neck. I am so not seeing the FFXIII Chocobos as anything close to a giraffe.

[Blade12775]

You also need to remember that a person needs to be able to ride them and their feet not touch the ground. Can't do that if the chocobo is short.