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Ostrich

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The ostrich is the biggest bird in the world with a male ostrich often growing more than 2 metres tall. The ostrich is also the world's fastest bird on the ground being able to run at speeds of up to 50 mph for short periods of time.

Despite the fact that the ostrich is a bird, the ostrich cannot fly and instead will run away when threatened. The ostrich weighs more than 100kg which is the main reason as to why the ostrich is unable to fly. The ostrich will also lay flat on the ground to hide from predators.

The ostrich mainly eats grubs and insects, often found in the ground. The ostrich is well known for putting it's head into the ground to get the bugs in the soil. The ostrich also has a kick so powerful that it can be fatal to most mammals.

The ostrich is found natively in Africa (and also used to be found in the Middle East) but the ostrich is farmed for it's meat, skin and feathers all around the world.

The ostrich lays the biggest eggs of any bird species with an ostrich egg generally being more than 10 times bigger than the average chicken egg. Due to its sheer size, the egg of the ostrich is considered a cuisine delicacy in many human cultures.

There are five different species of ostrich that are generally found around central and eastern Africa. The different species of ostrich are all very similar but vary in size and colour depending on the species of ostrich. The ostrich is most closely related to the Australian emu and the New Zealand kiwi.

The ostrich is an omnivore and therefore eats a variety of both plants and animals. The diet of the ostrich mainly consists of leaves, grass, seeds, roots, flowers and berries along with insects and occasionally small mammals and reptiles.

Due to the sheer size and immense power of the ostrich, the ostrich has few natural predators in it's environment. The main predators of the ostrich are lions and cheetahs, and also hyenas and crocodiles if they are able to catch one. Humans are one of the main predators of the ostrich as they hunt the ostrich for it's meat and feathers.

Ostriches live in herds that usually include the dominant male, his hens (female ostriches) and their young offspring (ostrich babies). During the mating season, the alpha male will make a communial nest around 3 meters wide in the ground for the his female ostriches to lay their eggs in. There are often more than 20 eggs in the nest but it is rare that more than a couple of these eggs actually hatch as they are preyed upon by predators like jackals and hyenas. After an incubation period of around 6 weeks, the ostrich chicks hatch out of their eggs. It is the alpha male ostrich that defends the ostrich chicks from danger and teaches them to feed.

Ostrich Comments (2)

Bethany Hallmark

"Thankyou for this site it is very good to learn stuff of especially when i am learning about ostrches in literacy thankyou"

Tyler

"the facts are really helpful so thanks!!!"

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Ostrich Facts

Kingdom: A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....	Animalia
Phylum: A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....	Chordata
Class: A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....	Aves
Order: A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....	Struthioniformes
Family: A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....	Struthionidae
Genus: A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....	Struthio

Scientific Name:	Struthio Camelus
Type:	Bird
Diet:	Omnivore
Size (H):	1.8m - 2.7m (6ft - 9ft)
Wing Span:	1.5m - 2m (4.9ft - 6.5ft)
Weight:	63kg - 130kg (140lbs - 290lbs)
Top Speed:	74km/h (42mph)
Life Span:	50 - 70 years
Lifestyle:	Herd
Conservation Status: The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...	Least Concern

Colour:	Brown, Black, Grey, White, Pink
Skin Type:	Feathers
Favourite Food:	Grass
Habitat: The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...	Desert and savanna areas
Average Clutch Size:	1
Main Prey: When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....	Grass, Roots, Seeds, Flowers
Predators: When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...	Hyena, Lion, Cheetah
Distinctive Features:	Small wings and long neck and legs