Details
Struthio camelus
The common ostrich is the largest living bird, built for speed rather than flight. Its small wings help with balance and display while its long legs carry it across open African country.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in African savannas, dry grasslands, and semi-deserts. Open terrain suits its watchful lifestyle, and it can use arid areas where food and water are scattered.
Adults stand about 210-280 cm high and weigh roughly 90-150 kg. Males are mostly black with white wing and tail feathers, while females are grey-brown. The bare legs end in two toes, with the large inner claw adapted for running.
Diurnal and usually gregarious, ostriches feed while moving in small parties or larger flocks. They rely on keen eyesight and rapid running to escape danger. Breeding males display with spread wings, booming calls, and dancing movements.
Omnivorous, it eats grasses, seeds, fruit, roots, flowers, insects, and occasional small vertebrates. Lacking teeth, it swallows stones that help grind tough plant material in the gizzard.
A male scrapes a shallow nest in the ground, where several females may lay their large eggs. The dominant female and the male share incubation, which lasts about six weeks. Chicks walk soon after hatching and are guarded in groups.
Listed as Least Concern, the species is still locally affected by hunting, egg collection, and habitat change. Ostriches have long been used for feathers, leather, meat, and are now farmed in many regions.
