The African ostrich is a very large and interesting bird, like penguins it does not fly, but it runs amazingly.
The African ostrich is perfectly adapted to life in the semi-deserts of Africa.
Body length 2.5m, weight 135kg. They are very fast, have long and strong legs, and thanks to this, they develop tremendous speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
The step of the bird is about 3.5 m. There are two fingers on the legs, in appearance, they are somewhat reminiscent of a hoof. By the way, it is with his feet that he defends himself if he cannot escape from the attacker. In the same way, he protects his chicks.
Short wings are poorly developed, because of this the bird does not fly. Feathers evenly cover his entire powerful body.
In the neck area, small feathers are very rare, and therefore it looks bald. On the neck is a "breast callus". This is the name of the area of \u200b\u200bthe body on which he leans when he lies.
Ostriches photo
They eat mainly plant foods, love grass, leaves and a variety of fruits. The digestive system does a great job with such rough food. The esophagus of birds can be very stretched. They are very sociable, love to graze in herds. Often the number of the herd reaches fifty individuals.
During the mating season, the male aggressively and defiantly defends his territory. It puffs out its bright neck and screams loudly. A dance is dancing in front of the female: in turn, it flaps one or the other wing, then spreads the feathers of the wings. Then, bending down to the ground, it rakes out a small hole with its wing, as if it were making a nest. He softly chants a song to her, and she walks in front of him. When the couple is reunited, the male builds a nest.
Ostrich and ostriches photo
The female will lay 8-12 eggs. The most interesting thing is that other females can also lay eggs in the same nest. Sometimes in such a clutch up to 40 eggs are recruited. The female incubates the eggs during the day, the male at night. Egg length 15cm, width 13cm, weight about 1.3kg.
Born chicks, after two months of incubation, are feathered variegated. This is great camouflage. They run on their own and can forage for themselves from birth. Parents protect their chicks.
The meat of the bird is very tasty, and various decorations are made from their feathers. Today, the African ostrich is a tidbit for hunters of all stripes. Often these birds are bred on farms, they are easy to train.
The ostrich is familiar to everyone. More often children, but sometimes adults also wonder where the ostrich lives.
The first thing that comes to mind is Africa. Yes, indeed they are found only on this continent. Today and, which for a long time were also considered ostriches, are classified as certain types, and is recognized as the largest bird in the world and is able to run at speeds up to 70 km per hour.
It is important for a bird to have good review, since, without flying, he can escape from his natural enemies, such as cheetahs, lions, hyenas and leopards, only by noticing them in time and running away. Due to active domestication and breeding on farms for eggs, meat, feathers and skin, giants spread throughout the world, but they only live in the wild in Africa..
ostrich habitat
There is a bird in the flat areas of the African continent. Previously, ostriches also lived in other territories, in particular in the Middle East, India, Iran, Arabia and Central Asia. As a result of very active hunting activity in most places, the giants were completely exterminated, including even the Middle Eastern species, which was considered numerous. As a result, the habitat has been reduced to Africa.
Experts today divide the view into several types. So, birds living in different parts of Africa have certain differences in appearance.
- Living in the eastern regions of the mainland - their distinctive feature is the red color of the neck and paws.
- Living in Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya, these birds have a distinctive feature of the bluish tint of the neck and paws.
- Living in the southwestern regions of Africa - have gray paws and a neck.
Such differences are usually not noticed by most people, and for them all giants are perceived equally; unless, of course, one does not arrange their photographs in a row, in which the specific features will immediately be clearly visible.
Birds are found almost everywhere in Africa.. The main habitats of ostriches are nature reserves, where the birds feel especially comfortable due to the lack of hunters. These, the largest birds in the world, do not live only in the north of the mainland and in the Sahara desert, in which they simply cannot physically exist without food and water.
The ostrich's habitat in which it feels especially comfortable is the savannas and desert areas where water and food can be found.
Having learned the general about where the ostrich lives, one should also consider in more detail the specific habitats of it.
Savannah
The structural features of the bird and the lack of the possibility of flying, which is compensated by a very fast run, force ostriches to choose flat areas overgrown with grass (savannas) for life and, much less often, light forests, which, as a rule, border on the savannah.
Ostriches breed on the plains of the savannah, where there is always enough food for parents and chicks. A healthy bird in such conditions is practically inaccessible to predators, since, noticing them from afar, ostriches very quickly move to a safe place, leaving no chance for the pursuer to catch up with them.
In the savannah, the ostrich lives in packs of up to 50 individuals.
Most often, ostriches graze near herds of antelopes and zebras, as this provides them with additional protection. In such a situation, creeping predators are noticed more quickly, and they will also prefer an antelope more quickly than a bird, which is almost impossible to catch.
It is quite comfortable for a person to live where ostriches live, and therefore it is not uncommon for local tribes, in addition to ungulates, to hunt birds, which provide a large amount of high-quality meat. Because of attractive feathers for a long time in nature, ostriches were exterminated by people. Today in Africa, feathered giants are not considered an endangered species.
Desert
The desert is not the most livable place for feathered giants. In the Sahara, they are not found at all. However, birds enter the territory of semi-deserts in order to incubate eggs, and also after rains, when enough fresh greenery and insects, as well as various lizards, appear in the area. The soil of semi-deserts is quite hard, and the bird can move well along it, gaining very high speed.
African ostrich (lat. Struthio camelus) is the largest bird in the world and the only representative of the ostrich order, the ostrich family, the genus ostrich. Belongs to the class of birds, subclass ratites.
International scientific name — Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758.
conservation status- causing the least concern.
The biological name of a flightless bird, translated from Greek, literally sounds like a "camel sparrow" (Greek στρουθίο-κάμηλος). Such apt allegory arose thanks to characteristic features ostrich: he has the same as a camel, expressive eyes framed by long eyelashes, two-fingered limbs and a pectoral callus. Comparison with a sparrow probably arose due to small, poorly developed wings.
Ostrich - description, structure, characteristics, photo. What does an ostrich look like?
The African ostrich is a bird unique in its nature that cannot fly, has no keel and has only two toes, which is also an exception in the class of birds.
Being the largest birds on the planet, large individuals of the African ostrich boast a height of 2.7 meters and an impressive weight of up to 156 kg. However, the usual weight of an ostrich averages about 50 kg, with males slightly larger than females.
The skeleton of an ostrich is not pneumatic, with the exception of the femur. The ends of the pubic bones fused and formed a closed pelvis, which is also uncharacteristic for other birds.
African ostriches are distinguished by a dense build, a very elongated neck and a small flattened head, ending in an even, wide, flat beak, on which a soft outgrowth of horny tissue is located.
The ostrich has large eyes, and the upper eyelid is dotted with long, fluffy eyelashes.
The outgrowth of the sternum, or keel, characteristic of representatives of the class of birds, is completely absent in ostriches, and the sternum itself is poorly developed.
On its surface there is a bare area of thick skin - a special pectoral callus that acts as a support when the bird lies on the ground.
The forelimbs of the bird are represented by underdeveloped wings, each of which has two fingers ending in sharp claws.
The hind legs of an ostrich are long, strong and muscular, with two fingers, and only one of them has a kind of hoof at the end, which serves as a support while running.
The plumage of an ostrich is loose and curly, relatively evenly distributed over the surface of the body. There are no feathers on the head, neck and legs: they are covered with soft, short fluff.
Ostrich feathers are distinguished by a primitive structure: their beards practically do not interlock with each other and do not form vanes. Birds have very beautiful feathers and there are quite a lot of them: 16 flight feathers of the first order and from 20 to 23 of the second order, tail feathers can be from 50 to 60.
It is very easy to distinguish a male ostrich from a female. The plumage of adult males is black, and only the tail and wings are painted white.
Females are rather nondescript: their feathers are distinguished by a patronizing grayish-brown color, and their wings and tail plumage look dirty white.
What does an ostrich eat?
The ostrich is an omnivorous bird, and although the diet of young individuals is predominantly animal food, adult birds feed on all kinds of vegetation. Their diet consists of herbs, shoots and seeds of plants, flowers, ovaries, and fruits, including rather hard ones. However, adults are far from being vegetarians and, if possible, will not refuse various insects, such as locusts, as well as lizards, small rodents, and carrion in the form of half-eaten prey. large predators. There is nothing for ostriches to chew food with, therefore, to improve digestion, they eat sand and small pebbles, and often various inedible objects: wood chips, pieces of plastic, metal, and even nails. Also, ostriches can safely starve for several days.
Like camels, ostriches are able to do without water for a long time: they have enough liquid from the green mass of plants consumed. But, having gained access to water, the ostrich drinks a lot and willingly. With the same great pleasure, ostriches bathe.
Where do ostriches live? Ostriches lifestyle
Ostriches live in Africa. Birds avoid tropical rainforests, preferring open grassy landscapes and semi-deserts north and south of equatorial woodlands.
The habitat of ostriches on the African continent. The places where various subspecies of the African ostrich live are highlighted in color. Photo credit: Renato Caniatti
African ostriches live in family groups consisting of a mature male, 4-5 females and their offspring. Often the number of flocks reaches 20-30 individuals, and young ostriches in the south of the range live in groups of up to a hundred birds.
Often ostriches share pastures with whole herds of antelopes or zebras, while animals and birds treat each other quite peacefully and travel together through the African savannas. Possessing high growth and excellent eyesight, ostriches immediately notice the approach of predators and quickly run away, taking steps up to 3.5-4 m long. At the same time, the speed of an ostrich can reach about 60-70 km / h. Long-legged runners are able to change direction abruptly without slowing down. And ostrich chicks, 30 days old, are practically not inferior to their parents and can run at speeds up to 50 km / h.
Types of ostriches, photos and names
In the era of the Pleistocene and Pliocene, there were several varieties of ostriches on earth that lived in Western and Central Asia, in India and the southern regions of Eastern Europe. The annals of the ancient Greek historian Xenophon mention these birds that inhabited the desert landscapes of the Middle East, west of the Euphrates River.
The uncontrolled extermination of birds has led to a sharp decline in the population, and today the only species of ostrich includes 4 surviving subspecies that live in the expanses of Africa. Below is a description of the subspecies of the African ostrich.
- Ordinary or North African ostrich Struthio camelus camelus)
Has a bald head. This is the largest subspecies, whose growth reaches 2.74 meters, while the ostrich weighs up to 156 kg. The limbs and neck of the ostrich are painted intense red, and the egg shells are covered with thin rays of pores that form a star-like pattern. Previously, common ostriches lived in a large area covering the north and west of the African continent, from Ethiopia and Uganda in the south of the range to Algeria and Egypt in the north, covering West African countries, including Mauritania and Senegal. Today, the habitat of these birds has been significantly reduced, and now the common ostrich lives only in a few African countries: Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic and Senegal.
Common ostrich (North African ostrich) male (lat. Struthio camelus camelus). Photo credit: MathKnight
Common ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus camelus). Photo by: שלומי שטרית
- Masai ostrich ( Struthio camelus massaicus)
An inhabitant of East Africa (southern Kenya, eastern Tanzania, Ethiopia, southern Somalia). Its neck and limbs turn intense red during the breeding season. Outside of the breeding season, they are pink.
Masai ostrich male (lat. Struthio camelus massaicus). Photo by: Nicor
Masai ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus massaicus). Photo credit: Nevit Dilmen
- Somali ostrich ( Struthio camelus molybdophanes)
Based on the analysis of mitochondrial DNA, it is sometimes considered as an independent species. The males have the same head baldness as the common ostrich subspecies, but their neck and limbs are bluish-gray in color, and the female Somali ostrich has especially bright brown feathers. Somali ostriches live in southern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya and Somalia, and the local population calls them the beautiful word "gorayo". This subspecies of ostriches prefers to live in pairs or singly.
- Southern ostrich ( Struthio camelus australis)
It is also distinguished by the gray color of the plumage of the neck and limbs, and its range is dotted through the southwestern part of Africa. The ostrich is found in Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana, lives south of the Zambezi and Kunene rivers.
Southern male ostrich (lat. Struthio camelus australis). Photo by: Bernard DUPONT
Southern ostrich female (lat. Struthio camelus australis). Photo by: Yathin S Krishnappa
Ostrich breeding
Puberty of ostriches occurs at the age of 2-4 years. During the mating period, each male vigilantly guards his personal territory within a radius of 2 to 15 square kilometers and ruthlessly drives out competitors. The neck and limbs of the flowing male become bright red, and to attract females, he falls to his knees, intensely beats his wings, arches his neck back and rubs the back of his head against his back. During the rivalry for the possession of a female, males make very original trumpet and hissing sounds. Having taken more air into the goiter, the male ostrich sharply pushes it into the esophagus, announcing the surroundings with something like a guttural roar, reminiscent of a lion's growl.
Ostriches are polygamous, so the dominant male mates with all the females of the harem, but pairs exclusively with the dominant female for the subsequent incubation of offspring.
After mating, the future father personally digs a nest up to 30-60 cm deep in the sand, where all fertilized females periodically lay their eggs, performing a similar manipulation once every two days.
Among all bird diversity, the ostrich has the largest eggs, although, in relation to the body, they are quite small. The average size of an ostrich egg is 15 to 21 cm long and about 13 cm wide. Egg weight reaches 1.5-2 kg, which is equivalent to 25-35 chicken eggs. The thickness of the shell is approximately 0.6 mm, and its color is straw yellow, sometimes darker or, conversely, lighter.
In eggs laid by different females, the texture of the shell varies and is glossy and shiny or matte and porous.
Ostrich egg versus chicken and quail egg. Photo credit: Rainer Zenz
In the inhabitants of the northern part of the range, the joint clutch, as a rule, contains from 15 to 20 eggs, in the south - about 30, in the East African population the number of eggs in the nest often reaches 50-60. After laying eggs, the dominant female ostrich forces the competitors to leave and rolls her eggs into the middle of the hole, identifying them by the texture of the shell.
The incubation period lasts from 35 to 45 days, at night only the male incubates the clutch, during the day the females take turns on duty. This choice is not accidental: thanks to the patronizing coloration, the females go unnoticed against the backdrop of the desert landscape. During the day, the masonry is sometimes left unattended and warmed by the heat of the sun. Despite the general care of the parents, many clutches die due to insufficient incubation. In populations where there are too many females, the number of eggs in the clutch may be such that the male cannot physically cover all the offspring with his body.
An hour before birth, the ostrich chick begins to open the shell of the egg, rests with its outstretched legs on its sharp and blunt ends and methodically pecks at one point with its beak until a small hole is formed. Thus, the chick makes several holes, and then hits this place with force with the back of the head, so ostriches are often born with significant hematomas that tend to pass quickly. When the last chick was born, the adult ostrich mercilessly destroys the non-viable eggs lying on the edge, and flies immediately gather for the feast, which serve as food for the chicks.
Newborn ostriches are sighted, well developed, their bodies are covered with light fluff, and their weight is about 1.2 kg. The chicks that were born move perfectly and leave the nest the next day, setting off with their parent in search of food. For the first two months, ostriches are covered with black and yellow bristles, the crown has a brick color, and the neck is off-white in color with dark longitudinal stripes.
Only with time do they form real feathers, and the outfit of all chicks becomes similar in color to the plumage of females. Male ostriches acquire the black color characteristic of adults only in the second year of life.
Taken from: www.reddit.com
Ostriches are very attached to each other and if two groups of chicks meet, it is no longer possible to separate them, due to which flocks of ostriches of different ages are often found in the savannas of Africa.
Being polygamous birds, the male and female start a fight between themselves, and the stronger parent gets further care for the brood.
Ostrich eggs are preyed upon by jackals, hyenas, and scavenger birds. For example, a vulture grabs a large stone with its beak and throws it on top of the egg several times until it cracks. Chicks may also be attacked by lions, cheetahs, leopards, or hyenas.
It is in vain to think that ostriches are shy birds: in fact, they are quite aggressive and able to stand up for themselves and their offspring. An angry ostrich will not hesitate to attack a person who encroaches on its territory, and even seasoned predators are afraid of adult birds. Cases have been recorded when a defending ostrich mortally wounded an adult lion with one powerful kick.
life span of an ostrich
African ostriches live for a long time and, under favorable conditions, can live for about 75 years.
There are several types of birds that are very similar to the ostrich. But they do not belong to the family of ostriches and the genus of ostriches. Below is a brief description of them.
darwin rhea, he is lesser rhea or long-billed rhea ( Rhea pennata)
A flightless bird of large size from the order Nandu-like, Nandu family, Nandu genus. The plumage of the bird is gray or grayish-brown, with white spots on the back. The height in the back is approximately 90 cm, the weight varies between 15-25 kg. Darwin rhea lives in the south of Argentina, including Patagonia and southern part Andes, in Bolivia, in Argentina and on the island of Tierra del Fuego.
Large rhea, common rhea, he is northern nandu ( Rhea americana)
A flightless bird from the Nandu-like order, the Nandu family, the Nandu genus. A typical representative of South America. It lives in Argentina and Bolivia, in Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The height of a large nandu to the level of the crown reaches 127-140 cm, the weight varies from 20 to 25 or more kilograms. The color of the feathers is brown-gray, often among the birds there are albino individuals with white plumage and bright blue eyes.
Cassowary ( Casuarius) - a large bird, unable to fly. Belongs to the cassowary order, the cassowary family, the cassowary genus. Scientists have identified three types of cassowaries. Individuals reach 150 cm in height with a weight of up to 80 kg.
A distinctive feature of the bird is a peculiar outgrowth-helmet on its head. The head and neck of the bird are usually unfeathered, the color of the feathers on the body is black, two species have bright “earrings” of various colors in the neck area. Cassowaries live in the thickets of the tropics of New Guinea, in the northeast of Australia, they are found on the islands of Aru, Muruk, Salavati, Yapen.
emu ( Dromaius novaehollandiae)
A large flightless bird from the cassowary order, the emu family, the emu genus. It reaches a height of 150-170 cm, while weighing from 45 to 55 kg. The color of the feathers is gray-brown. Emu is widely distributed throughout Australia.
African ostrich meat is a rather healthy product, which, according to some nutritionists, in terms of the minimum cholesterol content at the maximum number the squirrel overtook even the popular turkey. Ostrich meat has a dark red color, tastes a bit like veal, cooks very quickly, but with prolonged heat treatment it can lose tenderness and juiciness. Ostrich meat is highly valued in Asian and European countries, becoming quite a familiar restaurant dish among connoisseurs of delicious food with exotic notes. Appetizing steaks, roasts, cold appetizers, meatballs are prepared from ostrich, it is boiled, stewed and baked. The lean meat of the African ostrich contains manganese, potassium and iron, it is rich in phosphorus, B vitamins and nicotinic acid.
Do ostriches bury their heads in the sand?
There is a misconception that ostriches hide their heads in the sand, but they do nothing of the sort. The appearance of this myth was facilitated by the manner of birds to stand with their heads bowed to the ground, and swallow small pebbles that promote digestion.
Also, an ostrich can drop its head on the sand after a long run. The bird has no strength left, and thus it rests.
Taken from: theiwrc.org
- Ostrich feathers are especially beautiful and are traditionally used to make fans, fans, and headdress ornaments. The popularity of the ostrich feather led to the fact that if in the 19th century only a ton of raw materials were exported from Africa per year, then at the beginning of the 20th century this figure was already 370 tons.
- In the middle of the 19th century, birds began to be kept in farms, and if this had not happened, the ostrich population might not have survived to this day. Today, more than 50 states have ostrich breeding farms, including countries with cool climatic conditions, in particular Sweden. In addition to preserving the species, the main purpose of breeding ostriches is to obtain expensive skin, feathers and tasty beef-like meat.
- Feathers of ostriches that have reached the age of 2-3 years are not pulled out, but carefully cut off at the very skin, repeating the procedure 2 times a year.
- Since ancient times, people have used ostriches as a means of transportation: the birds were harnessed to a team, and they were also ridden on horseback.
- An ostrich running away from a chase often performs such a trick: the bird falls on the sand and stretches its neck, which gives the pursuers the impression that the ostrich has suddenly disappeared. But when a hidden bird is approached, a rested ostrich jumps up in the blink of an eye and rapidly disappears into the distance.
- An interesting feature of ostriches is to swallow completely inedible things. A number of interesting items were found in the stomach of one ostrich: 3.5 kg of sand, rags, tow, 3 pieces of iron, 9 coins, a copper hinge, 2 iron keys and even lead bullets.
- You can ride an ostrich. The bird can easily carry an adult on itself.
An ostrich is a bird belonging to the ostrich family that lives in the African region. These birds live only on the plains, they do not rise above 100 meters above sea level.
About 300 years ago, ostriches lived not only in Africa, but also in Palestine and in a large territory of Asia Minor, but today this species is found only in the semi-deserts and savannas of Africa. In Asia, all ostriches were exterminated in the middle of the 20th century.
Ostriches inhabit the eastern, southwestern and central parts of the African continent, located south of the Sahara desert. The ostrich species is divided into 4 subspecies. One subspecies lives in South Africa - these birds are bred mainly on farms, they have gray necks.
The northern subspecies is the largest, these birds have pinkish-red necks. The northern subspecies lives in six African countries south of the Sahara.
Oriental ostriches have pink necks and thighs, and during the mating season in males they turn red. The eastern subspecies lives in Eastern Tanzania, Southern Kenya, Southern Somalia and Ethiopia.
Listen to the voice of an African ostrich
Another subspecies, called the Somali, lives in northeastern Kenya, in Somalia and southern Ethiopia. These ostriches have gray-blue thighs and necks. During the breeding season in males, they turn red.
Ostriches live in pairs, lead a solitary life, and rarely a flock.
The appearance of an ostrich
Ostriches cannot fly, nature has deprived them of this skill. These birds have underdeveloped wings.
Ostriches are large, strong birds that cannot fly.
On strong and long legs there are 2 fingers, one of which resembles a hoof. All the load falls on this finger when the ostrich runs.
In males, most of the plumage is black, only the tail and wings are white. In females and juveniles, the color is brown-gray, and the wings and tail are off-white. There is practically no plumage on the hips, head and neck. In females, the skin in these areas of the body is pinkish-gray, while in males it is grey, pink, or blue-gray depending on the subspecies. There is also an area of skin without feathers on the chest.
Ostriches weigh from 65 to 145 kilograms. The growth of these birds is 2.1-2.8 meters. Males are larger than females. Ostriches have a long neck with a small head and large eyes. The mouth is also large, it stretches to the very eyes. In ostriches, unlike their feathered relatives, urine is excreted not together with feces, but separately. Ostriches can run at a speed of 75 kilometers per hour. At the same time, the length of their step ranges from 3 to 5 meters.
The plumage consists of soft and fluffy feathers, which are distinguished by high thermal insulation properties. Due to this, ostriches are perfectly adapted to significant temperature fluctuations. Ostriches have 60 feathers on their tails, and 16 primary and 25 secondary feathers on their wings.
Young growth in the first year of life adds a monthly height of 25 centimeters. At the age of one year, they already weigh 45 kilograms.
Behavior and nutrition of the ostrich
Ostriches outside the mating season live a pack life. This is especially true for those groups that roam during the drought. These birds live in the savannah alongside antelopes and zebras. They are active in the morning and evening. Ostriches have excellent eyesight and hearing, so they notice predators from afar and immediately run away. Ungulates, paying attention to the behavior of ostriches, learn about the approaching danger.
Ostriches have incredibly strong legs. During the defense, these birds can inflict serious injury with their feet and even kill.
Ostriches feed on fruits, seeds, grass, leaves of shrubs. Sometimes they eat insects. Ostriches swallow small pebbles that grind food and improve digestion. Ostriches can go without water for a long time, they replenish moisture in the body from plant foods. In drought conditions, ostriches survive, but during this period they lose up to 25% of their body weight due to dehydration. If there is a reservoir nearby, then these birds drink and bathe with pleasure.
Reproduction and lifespan
Ostriches are polygamous birds, that is, one male lives with several females. Outside of the breeding season, ostriches live in flocks. Juveniles form separate, more numerous flocks. During the mating season, each male occupies a certain territory, the size of which is on average 10 square kilometers. Competitors from these allotments are ruthlessly driven out. The sides and neck at this time in males acquire a bright tone. Males hiss at each other and roar deafly.
Puberty in ostriches occurs at 2-4 years, while maturation in females occurs six months earlier than in males. The breeding season begins in March-April and continues through September. The harem consists of a male and 5-7 females, with one of the females occupying a dominant position. The male, together with the main female, builds a nest and incubates the clutch.
The nest is made simply - a depression is formed in the ground, about 50 centimeters deep. All females lay their eggs in this nest. One clutch may contain 15-60 eggs. In the center of the clutch are the eggs of the main female. The male also takes part in incubation of eggs. The eggs are big. Each egg weighs about 2 kilograms, and its length reaches 20 centimeters. The shell thickness of the eggs is 5-6 millimeters. Their color is dark yellow.
The incubation period takes 1.5 months. Eggs that are on the edge may not open. Chicks independently break a strong shell and crawl out. The remaining eggs are broken. Because of this, a large number of flies accumulate, which go to feed the newborn ostriches.
The life span of ostriches wild nature is 40-45 years old. In comfortable conditions of captivity, these birds can live up to 60 years. Some speculate that the lifespan of ostriches may be much longer, but these rumors have no evidence.
ostrich and man
People actively breed ostriches on farms. The meat of these birds is of high value because it contains little cholesterol. Ostrich eggs are delicious too. People also use the skin and feathers of these birds.
In the wild these large birds they are afraid of people and at their approach they flee. If an ostrich is driven into a corner, then it aggressively defends itself. An ostrich can easily kill a person with a kick. In South Africa, ostrich attacks kill several people each year.
Domesticated ostriches are used by people for recreational activities, for example, they are ridden like horses. There are even special saddles for riding ostriches. But managing these birds is much more difficult than horses.
Also, people practice races between ostriches. Birds are harnessed to special carriages and run competitions are held. There are such spectacles in many US states, where ostriches are bred on farms. The first ostrich farm appeared in 1892 in Florida. These feathered giants were also brought to Australia, some of which escaped, and wild flocks formed. In our country, they are also trying to breed ostriches.
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The African ostrich is the largest of modern birds: up to 270 cm high and weighing up to 156 kg. The speed of an ostrich is 70 km/h. Weight: the male weighs around 120 kg, the female weighs about 100 kg.
The African ostrich lives in Africa, it has the largest eyes among the animals of the earth. Such large eyes mean exceptional vision, and in fact, ostriches can see even small objects at a distance of five kilometers. The eyes of ostriches are larger than their brains and they can see everything they have behind her looking back. This is an important ability for a savannah inhabitant, where there are many bloodthirsty lovers of hearty and delicious food.
Everyone knows that these mighty birds cannot fly, there are no hairs in their feathers that give rigidity to feathers, and without a hard feather it is impossible to fly. That's why they look so fluffy and beautiful. And why should he fly if he can run at a speed of seventy kilometers per hour! And with each step measures eight meters. Such ostriches live in Ukraine and even further north, in Russia. Even in Murmansk, I had to taste ostrich meat in a restaurant from a local ostrich farm. So what is it good business. But I will continue my story about these birds.
ostrich egg
The African ostrich has large eggs, twenty-four times larger than chicken eggs. In nature, eggs are in danger, this is a quick and tasty food for hyenas, cheetahs, lions, jackals, and you never know who else, they all love eggs. It is very hot in Africa during the day, so the mother ostrich cools them with her feathers, otherwise they will just bake and chicks will not hatch from them, but at night, it is cold and the father ostrich warms them. Ostriches hatch their chicks for six weeks. The chicks grow, every month by eighteen centimeters, and by the year they become the same height as their parents.
Ostriches eat everything that is horrible, not even edible, so it is not very difficult to maintain a farm. The idea to tame a bird in the homeland of birds in Africa arose about two hundred years ago. Then they were chasing a beautiful feather, but over time, scientists saw a lot in bird meat useful properties, after which they began to grow ostriches on farms all over the planet. An ostrich eats three kilograms of food per day.
