Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
Ostriches don't need to drink - they can make their own water internally and top up with what they can extract from vegetation. During the 18th century, it became fashionable to wear feathers and ostriches were hunted almost to extinction to satisfy demand for their large plumes. Once it was discovered that they could be farmed successfully, in 1833, the pressure on wild ostrich populations was lifted.
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Strength in numbers About the Ostrich
The Ostrich, Struthio camelus, is a large flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, Emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about 45 miles per hour (72 km/h), the top land speed of any bird). The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any living bird (extinct elephant birds of Madagascar and giant moa of New Zealand laid larger eggs).
The diet of the Ostrich mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats insects. It lives in nomadic groups which contain between five and fifty birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If cornered, it can attack with a kick from its powerful legs. Mating patterns differ by geographical region, but territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females.
The Ostrich is farmed around the world, particularly for its feathers, which are decorative and are also used for feather dusters. Its skin is used for leather and its meat marketed commercially.
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Scientific Classification
Order: Ratite (Struthioniformes)
Family: Struthionidae
Genus: Struthio
Species: Ostrich (camelus)
The Ostrich is
- Egg layer
- Herbivorous
- Hierarchical
- Nomadic
- Polygynous
- Precocial
- Sexually dimorphic
- Social
- Territorial
Adaptation data provided by Animal Diversity Web
Where can I see them?
They can be found in the following habitats:
Conservation Status
The Ostrich is Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
- EX - Extinct
- EW
- CR - Threatened
- EN - Threatened
- VU - Threatened
- NT
- LC - Least concern
Year assessed: 2008
Elsewhere on the web
- Struthio camelus (animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu)
- Digimorph: skulls and animations (digimorph.org)
- Kenya birds facts and sightings (kenyabirds.org.uk)
- Ostrich fact file (wildanimalsonline.com)
- Ostrich (wikipedia.org)
Site links
BBC links
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