Common Ostrich

The Common Ostrich is the largest living bird species, a flightless ratite native to the open plains of Africa. Adult males have striking black body plumage with white wing and tail plumes, while females and juveniles are duller greyish-brown. Both sexes have a long, mostly bare pink or bluish neck, a small flattened head, large dark eyes, and powerful long legs built for speed rather than flight.

Appearance

• Massive body with a small head atop a long, flexible neck
• Males: glossy black body feathers with contrasting white flight and tail plumes
• Females and immatures: greyish-brown, more cryptic plumage
• Long, bare, muscular legs with only two toes on each foot, an adaptation unique among birds
• Wings are reduced but not vestigial, used for balance, cooling, and courtship display rather than flight

Key field marks

• Unmistakable size: no other bird approaches its height or bulk
• Bare, long pinkish or blue-grey neck and legs
• Two-toed feet, unique among birds
• Males show bold black-and-white plumage; females are sandy brown and blend into dry grassland

Similar species

No other bird is likely to be confused with an adult Ostrich due to its unique size and shape. Regional subspecies differ slightly in neck color (pink in some populations, blue-grey in others such as the Masai Ostrich) and in the presence or absence of a bare skin patch on the thigh.

Habitat

Common Ostriches favor open, arid to semi-arid habitats including savanna, grassland, scrubland, and semi-desert, where their height allows them to spot predators at long range.

Range

They occur widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from the Sahel south through East Africa to southern Africa, with additional populations historically in North Africa (now largely extirpated in the wild there). Farmed and feral populations exist in other parts of the world.

Migration

Ostriches are largely sedentary, though they may wander nomadically over large home ranges in response to rainfall, food availability, and water sources.

Behavior

Ostriches are highly social outside the breeding season, often forming loose herds and frequently associating with grazing mammals such as zebras and antelope, which benefit from the birds' keen eyesight for spotting predators. They can sprint at speeds up to 70 km/h (43 mph) and deliver powerful, potentially dangerous kicks in self-defense.

Voice

Ostriches are usually silent but males produce a deep, booming roar during the breeding season, and both sexes make hissing sounds when threatened.

Feeding

They graze on grasses, seeds, leaves, and shrubs, occasionally taking insects, lizards, or other small animals; they swallow grit and pebbles to help grind food in the gizzard and can go without water for extended periods.

Nesting & breeding

Males are polygamous, mating with a dominant hen and several subordinate hens that all lay eggs in a single shared shallow ground scrape nest. Ostrich eggs are the largest of any living bird. The dominant male and hen share incubation duties, with the male typically incubating at night given his dark plumage offers better camouflage.