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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing ostriches. Ostriches are also called camel birds because they are similar to camels. Not only do they have a long neck and big eyes, they can survive without water - at least as long as they have access to vegetation. Currently, there are two described ostrich species and they live in central and southern Africa. Their former range covered more ground and included southwestern Asia, but these birds were hunted extensively for their feathers which were used in fashion. If not for worldwide ostrich farms, the world’s largest living bird may have gone extinct. Now, wild ostriches are only found in Africa.

Ostriches live in savannahs, plains, and sparse woodlands. They are nomadic and can be seen grazing among herds of zebras and other ungulates. During dry seasons, ostriches may come together in large flocks numbering more than 100 members; they do, however, prefer to be near water. In fact, they like water so much they’ll bathe in it whenever they get a chance! If they can’t find water, their food may provide moisture, though they can’t live off this indefinitely. Ostriches are mostly herbivorous, eating seeds, grasses, flowers, and other plant materials, but they’ll also take small lizards, insects, and animal remains left behind by predators. These birds reach six to nine feet (1.8 to 2.7m) tall and weigh 200 to 286 pounds (90 to 130kg) - though there are reports of males reaching up to 330 pounds (150kg) in weight! Ostriches rival kangaroos in speed reaching more than 40mph (64kph) in short bursts. They use this speed to avoid predators, but they can also shove a threatening animal off with their feet. Ostriches are the only known living birds with just two toes per foot. Like the cassowary, they can kill with their kick and ostriches have been documented killing lions with their strong legs! Other predators to ostriches include hyenas, cheetahs, African wild dogs, and leopards. These animals may target adults but they’ll also go for young and eggs, too!

Ostriches lay the largest eggs of any living animal. An ostrich egg equates to about 24 chicken eggs. What’s amazing is that the kiwi, a bird about 5% the size of an ostrich, lays similarly sized eggs! Ostriches live in groups with a dominant male and female along with a few subordinate ladies. The male may breed with all of the females and they will all lay their eggs in a community nest. Each female may lay upwards of ten eggs and there may be as many as five females in a group, so the community nest may contain 50 eggs! These are incubated by day by the females - though usually the dominant female will take over nesting duties and kick the others out. At night, the male takes over incubation duties.

Adult male and female ostriches can be differentiated by feather color: the boys are black with stark white feathers while the girls are greyish brown. It takes about 40 days for ostrich chicks to hatch and a few days later they’ll leave the nest under the protection of all the adults in their group. The young are ready to begin breeding at about two to four years of age and they can survive to be more than 40 years old!

There’s a myth that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they’re scared. They don’t do this. Instead they lay close to the ground when threatened and spread their sand colored heads and necks along the ground's surface making it appear like the head is shoved in the sand - but it’s not!

For more facts on ostriches, check out the links in the description. Thank you to zinedine for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!