South African Ostrich: Fascinating Facts About the World's Largest Bird

At 2.5 m (8 ft.) tall, the ostrich is the world’s largest and heaviest bird. Its significant weight, up to 145 kg (320 lb.), prohibits the bird from taking flight.

But the ostrich has many unique abilities that make it well-adapted to living in the savanna, desert, and open woodlands of central and southern Africa.

A Bird Built for Running

The ostrich is equipped with long, muscular legs built for running. Unlike other birds, who have three or four toes, ostriches have only two toes on each foot which allows for greater speed. They can sprint as fast as 70 km/h (43 mph) and hold steady speeds of 50 km/h (31 mph). One stride can span 3-5 m (10-16 ft.)!

Ostrich Defense

When confronted with danger, ostriches can usually outrun any animals posing a threat. But if fleeing the scene is not an option, ostriches use their powerful legs to kick. With a 10-cm (4-in.) talon on each foot, their downward kicks can cause serious harm to potential predators.

Despite popular belief, ostriches do not stick their heads in the sand when threatened. But sometimes ostriches flop on the ground with their heads outstretched in front of them. The pink/peach/grey coloring can blend in with the sandy ground making it appear like their heads are buried.

Social Life

Ostriches generally live together in groups of about ten, led by a dominant male and a dominant female.

Do Ostriches Roar?

Male ostriches make loud, deep booming calls to defend their territory or to attract mates. They inflate their long necks in order to make these sounds. From far away, it can be mistaken for a lion’s roar. Ostriches also hiss to show their disapproval.

What Ostriches Eat

The ostrich’s diet consists mainly of roots, leaves, and seeds, but ostriches will eat whatever is available. Sometimes they consume insects, snakes, lizards, and rodents. They also swallow sand and pebbles which help them grind up their food in their gizzard, a specialized, muscular stomach. Because ostriches have this ability to grind food, they can eat things that other animals cannot digest.

Oftentimes groups of ostriches will graze among giraffes, zebras, gnus, and antelopes. Their presence is useful because they alert other animals when danger is near.

Similar to a Camel?

Because the ostrich has an elongated neck and large protruding eyes shadowed by long lashes, it has been likened to a camel. In fact, its scientific name is Struthio camelus! But the similarities do not end there. Ostriches can also withstand hot temperatures and go for long periods of time without water, usually getting enough moisture from the plants they eat.

Ostrich Reproduction

During breeding season (March to September), the dominant male performs a ritualized courtship dance by shaking his wings and tail feathers. If the main hen is impressed, the two will mate. The other hens in the group may also mate with the dominant male or with other lesser males. Then the dominant male scratches out a shallow pit in the dirt to create a nest.

The dominant female will lay around 7-10 eggs in the center of the nest, and the other females place their eggs to the outside. The communal nest may have as many as 60 eggs in it! Both the male and female ostriches take turns incubating the eggs. Each egg is 15 cm (6 in.) long and weighs 1.5 kg (3 lb.). Ostrich eggs are the largest in the world!

If the eggs are kept safe from hyenas, jackals, and Egyptian vultures, they hatch after around 6 weeks. Chicks are born with a spiky, grayish-brown feathers. About the size of a chicken at first, they grow 30 cm (1 ft.) each month! By six months, the young ostriches have grown nearly as tall as their parents.

Chicks can run as fast as 55 km/h (35 mph) by one month old. But they are still fairly vulnerable to predators like cheetahs, lions, leopards, hunting dogs, and hyenas. When confronted, adults will try to distract predators or lure them away.

At around 3-4 years, ostriches reach sexual maturity. Males develop black and white plumage while females continue to have a brown plumage. In the wild, ostriches live around 40 years.

Conservation Status

In the 18th century, ostriches were nearly brought to extinction by hunting because their feathers were very fashionable in women’s clothing. But by the mid 19th century, people started farming ostriches. This allowed farmers to simply pluck the feathers from their domesticated birds without having to kill them.

Today, ostriches are classified as a species of least concern by the IUCN Red List. But they are threatened by habitat loss due to human development and agriculture. They are also still hunted for their feathers, skin, meat, eggs, and fat.

What you Can Do to Help

If you’d like to help ostriches, you can promote wildlife tourism in Africa. Be a smart consumer! Practice ecotourism by being an advocate for the environment when you’re on vacation. During your travels, support, visit or volunteer with organizations that protect wildlife. Shop smart too! Support organizations like the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute that research better ways to protect and care for this animal and other endangered species. Less is more. Cut down on the demand for resources by consuming less.

Physical Characteristics

Ostriches are tall, flightless birds with long necks, muscular legs, and claw-like feet. Their bulky bodies are covered in large, puffy feathers; adult males have black feathers and white tails, while females are mostly covered in brown feathers. Their necks and heads are covered in fine, wispy feathers, and their legs are not feathered. Ostriches have thick, muscular thighs and legs, with two-toed feet ending with a long, sharp claw on each toe. They have big eyes-about 2 inches (5 centimeters) wide, which is the largest of any bird-and fine eyelashes that help protect their eyes from dust and sand. Ostriches have large wings, but they do not use them to fly. Instead, they stick out their wings while running, which creates a rudder-like effect and helps the ostrich change direction at high speed.

Adult ostriches weigh between 200 and 300 pounds (90-136 kilograms), about half the weight of a motorcycle.

Ostrich Subspecies Comparison

South African Ostrich (Struthio camelus australis)

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

The South African ostrich (Struthio camelus australis), also known as the black-necked ostrich, Cape ostrich or southern ostrich is a subspecies of the common ostrich endemic to Southern Africa. The South African ostrich known as wilde volstruis in Afrikaans, is a large flightless bird with long, bare legs and neck, a thick body, and a small head. The South African ostrich has grey-colored legs and neck. The ostrich is a didactyl species, meaning each foot has two toes, both ending in a sharp claw. They stand at a height of 1.2-2m tall and can weigh between 60-80kg. There is sexual dimorphism between males and females. Males have mostly black feathers covering their body, except for the tips of the primary feathers and rectrices, which are white. The male’s tail feathers are often stained a chestnut colour. Females and immature individuals have almost entirely grey-brown feathers covering their body. Juveniles have tan/dark brown banded plumage.

In 1868, Gurney came up with the name Struthio australis for the South African ostrich. The full scientific name is Struthio camelus australis. The name Struthio signifies“ostrich,” camelus stands for “camel,” and australis means “southern”. The South African ostrich is a subspecies of the common ostrich ( Struthio camelus). Other subspecies of the common ostrich include the North African ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), Masai ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus), and the Arabian ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus). The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) is the other modern species of ostrich. The South African ostrich belongs to the group of flightless birds known as ratites, which are part of the taxonomic group Palaeognathae. The living ratites include five orders: kiwis, cassowaries, emus, rheas and ostriches.

Habitat and Distribution

South African ostriches are often found in semi-arid and arid environments, such as savannas, deserts, and open plains, which provide ample space for running and foraging. These nomadic birds tend to travel in groups, known as flocks. Most common ostriches in South Africa were partly derived from the Somali ostrich as domesticated hybrids bred for the feather industry. Today, the South African ostrich is found in South Africa, Namibia, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola and Botswana. It lives in south of the rivers Zambezi and Cunene. The subspecies ranges from southern and southwestern Angola east to Zimbabwe and Botswana, southern Mozambique, and south to western and northern South Africa. It was formerly found throughout Zambia and was once more widespread across South Africa. They have been introduced in Eswatini and not present in Lesotho.

Behavior

The South African ostrich comes across as a timid, calm yet vigilant when around other groups of mammals and birds. They try to avoid other species only frequenting the same areas when necessary, such as for food and water. In the presence of Oryx, Kudu, Burchell’s Zebra and Springbok the South African ostrich often remained impartial. This species is described as jumpy, seen many times fleeing from harmless animals after the smallest disruption. During the dry season, a flock of ostriches may be composed of individuals with varying sexes and ages. Water holes act as social gathering sites. Young males, females and families regularly pass through from many different areas. A commensalistic relationship is often brief and formed through a random encounter and not from any deliberate actions. In 1969, Sauer observed ostriches directing their tension from another species, towards a flock member. The ostrich is very capable of defending itself. With strong legs, the ostrich can administer powerful kicks. When given the choice, they would prefer to quickly run away.

Vocalization

The South African ostrich emits a variety of sounds described as booming or lion-like. Similar to the reproductive stance, the male ostrich will stand tall and make “booming” calls to assert his dominance or deter predators from the young. He can make a wide range of threatening calls which sound almost like a snort, hiss or low boo. The “boo boo boohoo’hoo” as described in Sauer & Sauer (1966) is a vocalization heard on nest sites during the pre-copulatory courtship. Once a nesting site is established the male makes similar “booming” calls directed towards rivals in their territory. The ostrich will be heard more often calling in the early morning and late afternoon, sometimes until midnight or late into the night.

Diet

The South African ostrich is a herbivorous species adapted for eating several different food items. They eat grass and forage on trees and bushes. Ostriches do not have a crop, meaning the food passes from the esophagus to the stomach. They do not develop any teeth. They are able to break up their food using their gizzard. The gizzard has a few small pebbles which will help grind the food.

Reproduction

Nearing the end of the dry season, the female South African ostrich will signal her fitness to a potential mate by performing a courtship dance or display. To attract a male, the female may even produce feces and urinate. The female will even chase off other females from her potential partner's territory. As the males approach the reproductively ready female, their face, neck and shins turn red. The males perform a dance or ceremonial rivalries in front of the females to get their attention. He kneels down, moving his head and wings from side to side. The male will chase the females while standing tall, almost on “tippy toes” and display quick tiny steps while his neck and wings are pointed upwards. Dominant males will remain erect and vocalize to passing by males.

Nests are chosen by the male or by the breeding individuals. Most commonly, they will form polygamous units composed of one cock and three hens, with one taking on a more dominant role (major hen). The South African ostrich chooses a nest site away from communal grounds and watering holes. They construct a nest in dry sandy locations by pushing the sediment. These nests average three meters in diameter. The “major hen” will start laying first, followed by the “minor hens” who starts laying after the “major hen” lays her second egg. This synchronized process of laying eggs lasts 11 days. In the study done by Sauer & Sauer (1966), the South African Ostrich laid a clutch of eight eggs maximum. The “minor hens” laid three or four eggs. The weight of these eggs ranged from 1,221g to 1,752g with the average being 1,346g. The length of the eggs measured 12.2cm to 15.6cm and the width measured 11.2cm to 13.0cm. With an average length and width of 14.3cm and 12.1cm, respectively. When the incubation period starts, the male and females will rotate the task of sitting on the eggs. The ideal temperature for ostrich egg incubation falls within 35°C to 36°C and the relative humidity is between 40% to 42%.

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