Colours
Distinguishing features
Size
- From 210 cm to 280 cm (Height) - applies to Adult males
- From 170 cm to 200 cm (Height) - applies to Adult females
Weight
- From 63 kg to 145 kg
Wingspan
- Wingspan data is not yet available.
Synonyms
Interesting facts
- They can run at maximum speeds of about 70 km/h. (Wikipedia)
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Distribution and habitat preferences
They formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, East Africa, Africa south of the rain forest belt, and much of Asia Minor.
Today they prefer open land and are native to the savannas and Sahel of Africa, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone. In Southwest Africa they inhabit the semi-desert or true desert. They rarely go above 100 m.
Farmed ostriches in Australia have established feral populations.
The Arabian Ostriches in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century. Ostriches have occasionally been seen inhabiting islands on the Dahlak Archipelago, in the Red Sea near Eritrea. (Wikipedia)
Diet
The diet of ostriches mainly consists of plant matter, though it also eats invertebrates. (Wikipedia)
Web resources
Danger
- requires treatment - Ostriches typically avoid humans in the wild, since they correctly assess humans as potential predators, and, if approached, often run away. However, ostriches may turn aggressive rather than run when threatened, especially when cornered, and may also attack when they feel the need to defend their offspring or territories. Similar behaviors are noted in captive or domesticated ostriches, which retain the same natural instincts and can occasionally respond aggressively to stress. When attacking a person, ostriches kick with their powerful feet, armed with long claws, which are capable of disemboweling or killing a person with a single blow. (Wikipedia)