Ostrich

Habitat and Distribution (where they are found)
The birds are native to Africa, living in open country, desert areas, and dry savannah (grassland).

Body and Appearance
They are the biggest and heaviest of all the birds. Ostriches grow to be about 2.75 metres tall and weigh up to 156.5 kilograms. Male ostriches have jet black feathers with white wing and tail plumage (big feathers) and bright red or blue skin. The females have grey-brown feathers and skin.

The ostrich is a flightless bird because it does not have a breastbone called a keeled sternum that flying birds have. Their feathers are also different from those of birds that fly: they are fluffy, and don't hook together like flight feathers. They are not waterproof, and in the rain an ostrich looks very shaggy and drenched.

However, ostriches can run very fast, up to 70 kilometres per hour. They can out- run predators such as lions, leopards, and hyenas. This is their first defence. However, if cornered, ostriches also use their large two-toed feet to kick at enemies. The kick is powerful, and in addition, a 10cm claw on each foot can cause a big wound.

If they can't fly, what use are their wings? An ostrich uses its wings to help it steer and balance when it is running fast, particularly when it turns. Wings are used as communication when a male and female are courting and mating. Wings are also held out like umbrellas to make shade for chicks!

Did you know?

Ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand to hide!

However, they do lie down, neck stretched out and head on the ground, to hide in the grass -sometimes they do this when sitting on their nest. If a rock or clump of grass hides the ostrich's head from view, it can look as though the head is in a hole in the ground.

Diet
Ostriches are omnivores. They eat fruit, seeds, leaves, shoots, and shrubs as well as insects and lizards. They get the water they need from the plants they eat. They also swallow stones to help them digest their food.

Life cycle
Ostriches can mate and breed when they are about three or four years old. After mating with a male, several females lay from 10 - 70 large eggs on the ground, sharing a nest. Ostrich eggs are big, 11 x 18 centimetres across and they weigh about 1400 grams. They are white and shiny so that when exposed to the sun for short periods, they reflect the heat away and don't overheat.

A male ostrich protects a nest of eggs laid by several females that he has mated with

The eggs are laid in a nest, usually a slight hollow scratched into the ground. Just one of the females that laid the eggs will help hatch them, sitting on them in the daytime. This female moves all her eggs into the centre of the nest, the safest spot. A female's colours make her harder to see in the daylight as she sits on the nest. The male protects the eggs at nightime, when his dark colours make him hard to see. The eggs hatch in about 40 days, and both the male and female look after the chicks.

Ostrich Egg Fun Facts
The shells of ostrich eggs are thick and strong - necessary because adult ostriches are heavy and sit on the eggs in the nest. Sometimes if the nest is unprotected briefly, large birds called vultures drop stones from the air to try and break an egg for food, and a strong shell prevents too much breakage.

The eggs in a nest are laid over several weeks, yet they hatch together. The chicks inside the eggs chirp to each other and then start hatching together.

Ostrich eggs are so big that the Bushmen of the Kalahari desert use empty eggs to store water. They fill empty shells and bury them in shade under trees. An ostrich egg shell can hold about a litre of water.

Usefulness to Humans
Ostriches are farmed for their meat, feathers and skin. The feathers are used to make feather dusters or as decorations or additions to clothing. The skin makes a strong leather.

If you use any part of this, write the source in your bibliography like this:
Ostrich (2004). [Online], Available:www.kidcyber.com.au