Ostrich | Facts & Information

Food: omnivorous (plants, grains, seeds, small animals)

Origin

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a bird that lives in Africa, belonging to the group of running birds, being the largest bird currently living on Earth.

The African ostrich that now lives in the Sahara Desert was spread in the past and the territory of Western Asia.

Feathers and, in some regions, ostrich meat being prized by man, led to the extinction of the species from Asian territory.

The natural environment of life of the ostrich is Africa, especially the southern and eastern parts of the continent. The ostrich disappeared from the territory of Arabia, the north of the Sahara and the west of the Asian continent.

Birds live in desert regions and open savannahs, prefer regions with short grass, devoid of tall trees.

In areas where only bushes grow, which could prevent them from running or seeing at a long distance, they remain for a short time.

The desert itself, without vegetation, which does not provide food will only be crossed, because the bird extracts all the water from the food, the ostrich can live without problems in arid regions.

There are also ostriches in Australia, but they are actually birds that escaped from the farm, and later went wild.

Ostrich Food

Ostrich food is mainly vegetable (plants, grains, seeds), but they can also consume insects and small animals, which they swallow most of the time along with various hard objects, especially gravel, which helps digestion.

Strut Features

The male reaches the height of 210 to 275 cm, having a weight of 100 – 130 kg, being able to reach 150 kg, the females are smaller having the height of 175 – 190 cm and the weight of 90 – 110 kg.

The male has white and black feathers in the past were highly valued, while the female has a plumage of more washed gray color, the chicks having a similar color as the female.

The long legs of the ostrich are gray, grayish blue without feathers, in the male during mating the legs are rosacea color can be seen from a distance.

The bird has a long hollow Neck, the head of the ostrich being small in relation to the size of the bird, the eyes instead have a diameter of 5 cm, being in terrestrial vertebrates the largest eyes.

The ventral ostrich basin (below) has a closed pubic symphysis (Symphysis pubica), which is an exceptional case in birds.

The ostrich has a strongly developed leg musculature, as an adaptation to running, reaching a speed of 70 km/h, while for half an hour the bird can run at a speed of 50 km/h.

Thus, another characteristic feature of the ostrich alone is the fact that, by adapting to the run, the bird has only two fingers (Didactylie) to the foot, the legs using and as a weapon to be feared.

The fingers have powerful claws reaching a length of 10 cm. The chest bone (Sternum) is flat (wide. Ratis) to all varieties of ostriches, because of which the bird has a developed scapular belt with bones Os coracoideum and clavicle.

The wings of the ostrich are relatively large, if we consider that it is a bird adapted to running, which can not fly, the wings being used to keep the balance of the body during running, or during mating.

The Voice of the male can be heard during mating, being similar to the voice of the lion, while the voice of the offspring is more melodious.

Ostrich Breeding

Ostriches reach sexual maturity between 2 and 3 years. Females tend to mature faster than males; different species mature at different ages.

The egg-laying season is preceded by courtship behavior, a complicated series of actions, dancing, vocalizations, and synchronized behavior.

An example of receptive behavior on the part of the female ostrich includes bowing and flapping the wings on either side of the body. Males emit loud calls, while inflating the red skin of their neck, "patrolling" through the territory.

The mating behavior of the male is extremely elaborate, he moves his wings up and down, while shaking his head to one side and the other. He also makes a loud noise, swelling his neck area. The receptive female walks upside down, shaking her beak and wings, "cloning". When approached, the female will sit down, allowing the male to ride her.

The egg laying season begins in early spring and continues for 2-3 months. The duration of this season depends on the value and quality of food, the condition of birds and climatic conditions. Ostriches react immediately to weather changes.

The male "builds" the Nest, a small pit in the ground. He can become very aggressive during the mating season and will guard the female, her nest and her territory. Both males and females sit on the nest.

Ostriches live in small groups, except during the brooding period when they can only be found in pairs. The female lays 12 to 20 smooth, thick, ivory-colored eggs.

The eggs of North African ostriches are the largest in the world, having a length of 15 cm and a weight of about 1.8 kg. In the past the largest egg belonged to the elephant bird (species extinct from Madagascar) its dimensions being 76 cm and capacity of 9 liters. In opposition to these giant eggs is the egg of the vervain hummingbird, 1 cm in diameter., the smallest in the world.

Ostriches reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years. Females never make any sound, while males emit a loud howl (similar to a lion's roar) during mating, when their beak is closed and their esophagus swollen.