An Economist, Researcher, Speaker, and Founder of Foundation for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development- A non-profit dedicated towards peace and prosperity in Africa.
The flightless ostrich is the world's largest bird.
Ostriches have three stomachs.
Unlike all other living birds, the ostrich secretes urine separately from faeces.
Ostriches are the fast runners of any birds or other
two-legged animal and can sprint at over 70 km/hr, covering up to 5m in a
single stride.
Ostriches’ running is aided by having just two toes on
each foot (most birds have four), with the large nail on the larger,
inner toe resembling a hoof.
Ostriches’ wings reach a span of about 2 metres and are
used in mating displays, to shade chicks, to cover the naked skin of the
upper legs and flanks to conserve heat, and as "rudders" to help them
change direction while running.
When threatened ostriches run although their powerful,
long legs can be formidable weapons, capable of killing a human or a
potential predator like a lion with a forward kick.
Ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or
alone and during breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless
periods they live in nomadic ‘herds’ of five to 50 birds led by a top
hen, that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as
zebras or antelopes.
Territorial fights between males for a harem of two to
seven females usually last just minutes, but they can easily cause death
through slamming their heads into opponents.
Ostriches perform a complex mating ritual consisting of
the cock alternating wing beats until he attracts a mate, when they will
go to the mating area and he will drive away all intruders. They graze
until their behaviour is synchronized, then the feeding becomes
secondary and the process takes on a ritualistic appearance. The cock
will then excitedly flap alternate wings again, and start poking on the
ground with his bill. He will then violently flap his wings to
symbolically clear out a nest in the dirt. Then, while the hen runs
circle around him with lowered wings, he will wind his head in a spiral
motion. She will drop to the ground and he will mount for copulation.
All of the herd's hens place their eggs in the dominant
hen's 3m-wide nest, though her own are given the prominent centre place;
each female can determine her own eggs amongst others.
The giant eggs are the largest of any living bird at 15cm
long and weighing as much as two dozen chicken eggs, though they are
actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird.
The eggs are incubated by the dominant female by day and
by the male by night, using the colouration of the two sexes to escape
detection of the nest, as the drab female blends in with the sand, while
the black male is nearly undetectable in the dark.
When the eggs hatch after 35 to 45 days incubation, the
male usually defends the hatchlings and teaches them to feed, although
males and females cooperate in rearing chicks.
Contrary to popular belief, ostriches do not bury their
heads in the sand: the myth probably originates from the bird's
defensive behaviour of lying low at the approach of trouble and pressing
their long necks to the ground in an attempt to become less visible.
Their plumage blends well with sandy soil and, from a distance, gives
the appearance that they have buried their heads in the sand.
The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for
its decorative feathers and also for its meat which is marketed
commercially and its skin is used for leather products.
Ostriches have inspired cultures and civilizations for 5,000 years in Mesopotamia and Egypt.
In some African countries, people race each other on the back of ostriches with special saddles, reins, and bits.
The wild ostrich population has declined drastically in the last 200 years, with most surviving birds in game parks or on farms.
Unlike most birds the males have a copulatory organ, which is retractable and 20 cm long.
Lacking teeth, ostriches swallow pebbles to grind their food and an adult ostrich carries about 1kg of stones in its stomach.
Ostriches can go without drinking for several days, using
metabolic water and moisture in ingested roots, seeds and insects, but
they enjoy liquid water and frequently take baths where it is available.
The ostrich has the largest eye of any land animal,
measuring almost 5 cm across, allowing predators such as lions to be
seen at long distances.
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