Ostrich birds. Reproduction and lifespan of African ostriches

Ostrich is familiar to everyone. Most often children, but sometimes adults too, wonder where the ostrich lives.

The first thing that comes to mind is Africa. Yes, indeed they are found only on this continent. Today and which for a long time also considered ostriches, classified as a separate species, and recognized as the largest bird in the world and capable of running at speeds of up to 70 km per hour.

It is important for a bird to have good review, because without flying, escape from your own natural enemies, such as cheetahs, lions, hyenas and leopards, he can only by noticing them in time and running away. Due to extensive domestication and farm breeding for eggs, meat, feathers and skin, giants have spread throughout the world, but in the wild they live only in Africa.

Ostrich habitat

The bird is found on the flat areas of the African continent. Previously, ostriches also lived in other territories, in particular in the Middle East, India, Iran, Arabia and Central Asia. As a result of very active hunting activity in most places, the giants were completely exterminated, including even the Middle Eastern species, which was considered numerous. As a result, the habitat was reduced to Africa.

Experts today divide the species into several types. Thus, birds living in different places in Africa have certain differences in appearance.

1. Living in the eastern regions of the mainland, their distinctive feature is the red color of the neck and paws.
2. Living in Ethiopia, Somalia and northern Kenya - these birds distinctive feature is a bluish tint to the neck and paws.
3. Living in the southwestern regions of Africa, they have gray paws and neck.

Such differences are usually not noticed by most people, and to them all giants are perceived as the same; unless, of course, you put their photographs in a row, in which species features will be immediately clearly visible.

Birds are found almost everywhere in Africa. The main habitats of ostriches are nature reserves, where the birds feel especially comfortable due to the lack of hunters. These, the largest birds in the world, do not live only in the north of the continent and in the Sahara Desert, in which they simply cannot physically exist without food and water.

The habitat in which the ostrich feels especially comfortable is savannas and desert areas where water and food can be found.

Having learned the general information about where the ostrich lives, you should take a closer look at its specific habitats.

Savannah

The structural features of the bird and the lack of the ability to fly, which is compensated by very fast running, force ostriches to choose for living flat areas covered with grass (savannas) and, much less often, open forests, which, as a rule, border on savannas.

Ostriches breed on the savanna plains, where there is always enough food for parents and chicks. A healthy bird in such conditions is practically inaccessible to predators, since, noticing them from afar, ostriches very quickly move to a safe place, leaving no chance for the pursuer to catch up with them.

In the savannah, the ostrich lives in flocks of up to 50 individuals.

Most often, ostriches graze near herds of antelopes and zebras, as this provides them with additional protection. In such a situation, sneaking predators are noticed more quickly, and they will also quickly prefer an antelope to a bird, which is almost impossible to catch.

It is quite comfortable for a person to live where ostriches live, and therefore it is not uncommon for local tribes, in addition to ungulates, to hunt birds, which provide a large amount of high-quality meat. Because of their attractive feathers, ostriches in nature were exterminated by humans for a long time. Today in Africa, feathered giants are not considered an endangered species.

Desert

The desert is not the most suitable place for life for feathered giants. They are not found at all in the Sahara. However, birds enter the territory of semi-deserts in order to hatch eggs, and also after rains, when enough fresh greenery and insects, as well as various lizards, appear in the area. The soil of semi-deserts is quite hard, and the bird can move well on it, gaining very high speed.

What do we know about the largest bird on the planet - the ostrich? Most people firmly believe in the myth that the ostrich, supposedly, in any danger, sticks its head into the sand, no matter how stupid it may sound (try sticking your head in a pile of sand yourself and breathing there for at least a minute). But where did such a myth come from, and what do these birds actually represent? What types of ostriches live on our planet? Why are they called that? This is what we will talk about in our article.

Do you know what the similarities are between ordinary ostriches and penguins? Both of them are birds, but, alas, they cannot fly. But if penguins live mainly in cold regions, feed in icy water, and hatch their eggs sitting on the snow, then ostriches are much better off. These representatives of birds have chosen warm countries Africa and Australia. Savannah and semi-desert are where the African ostrich and many other species of ostriches are found.

However, scientists claim that it is the African species that belongs to the very “primordial” ostriches. All other species - emu and rhea - are close to them in kinship, but still form a separate order. The same emu, for example, is rather a bird similar to an ostrich. In other words, the ostrich is the only extant representative of the ostrich family (Struthionidae).

Why are they called that?

Yours Latin name— “Struthio сamelus” — these birds got it because of their resemblance to camels and sparrows. Translated from Greek, the name of the species sounds like “camel-sparrow”. Well, our compatriots, who were not particularly experienced in Latin, later began to call “Strauss” “ostrich”.

Habitat

Three hundred years ago, these birds could be seen not only in Africa, but also in Palestine, as well as in Asia Minor. Alas, the predatory extermination of ostriches has led to the fact that today their habitat has been “shrinked” to the savannahs and semi-deserts of the African continent. They live in the east, central and southwest Africa.

As for Asia, ostriches were exterminated there in the middle of the last century.

Ostriches are excellent runners, so they prefer to live on the plains, where they have a great advantage. That is why they avoid settling in dense thickets, in a swamp or in the desert - it is quite difficult to reach maximum speed there.

Subspecies of African ostriches

Ornithologists distinguish four varieties or breeds of ostriches. These include:

1. South African subspecies. In southern Africa they are bred on farms. The main difference between the subspecies is the gray necks.
2. Northern subspecies. Their habitat area is wildlife covers several African states in the southern Sahara Desert. The main difference between the subspecies is the pinkish-brown neck.
3. Eastern subspecies - they are also called “pink ostrich”. These birds live in Ethiopia, southern Somalia and Kenya, as well as eastern Tanzania. This subspecies has a pink neck, but when mating season occurs, the neck of males becomes redder.
4. The Somali ostrich - as the name suggests, lives in Somalia, southern Ethiopia, and also in the northeastern part of Kenya. This subspecies has a beautiful gray-blue color on its neck and hips. However, during mating games, the neck of male Somali ostriches also acquires a pronounced red color.

Ostriches can occasionally unite in groups of up to 50 individuals, but still these birds prefer to live alone. Having found a mate, the male and female remain together for many years. Ostriches are sedentary, that is, they do not roam, but prefer to live in one area.

Large but weak wings prevent the ostrich from flying

Why don't ostriches fly?

That's right, these birds cannot fly. They, like all representatives of birds, have wings, but they are underdeveloped. Besides:

• they have no keel at all;
• very weak chest muscles;
• the skeleton is not pneumatic.

You can add the following to this description. The body of an ostrich has a large, one might say gigantic weight, and, as is known, only small birds fly. Even if ostriches had normal wings, it is unlikely that they would be able to lift a carcass weighing from 70 to 135 kilograms and up to 2.7 meters high into the air.

Features of the legs

Instead of the ability to fly, nature has endowed these birds with strong and resilient legs, thanks to which they run well, sometimes gaining incredible speed - up to 65 kilometers per hour. When running on flat terrain, an ostrich is capable of overtaking an Arabian horse, not to mention a person - after all, the fastest runners-athletes reach a speed of no more than 30 kilometers per hour, and even then only for short periods. An ostrich can move maximum speed about half an hour.

Ostrich legs in some way unique creation. Judge for yourself.

1. They are very long and at the same time have powerful muscles. The length of an ostrich's stride when running reaches eight and a half meters.
2. There are only two toes on the foot, while all other bird species on the planet have three or even four toes.
3. One toe is simply huge and takes up almost the entire foot of the paw. Moreover, it is also equipped with a claw.
4. The second finger is much smaller, without a claw. The bird does not rely on it, but thanks to it, ostriches maintain balance when walking, and when running, this finger improves the grip of the legs on the ground.

Features of the bird

All subspecies, be it the Somali ostrich or the black African ostrich, have one very interesting natural feature. These birds excrete their waste products, in particular feces and urine, not like all other birds, in the form of a single litter, but separately, almost like humans. Ostriches are the only birds on the planet that have a full bladder.

They also have other features:

• their neck does not have a pronounced goiter, like other birds, but it is capable of greatly stretching. This allows ostriches to swallow large food whole;
• their vision is excellently developed, in the steppe this gives them the opportunity to notice a predator from a very long distance;
• they even have something like ears, since the external auditory openings protrude somewhat beyond the boundaries of the feather covering, forming miniature ears.

Bird or animal

At first, scientists were much interested in the question of how true the statement is that ostriches are representatives of the bird tribe. There is a lot that is atypical about them. Such doubts - a bird or an animal - are suggested, for example, by such interesting facts about ostriches:

• they don't run away at the sight of large predators. Being able to run fast, ostriches, protecting their offspring, are able to withstand not only a small hyena, but even African lion– their strong muscular legs are a very formidable weapon;
• These birds often prefer to graze in the company of herbivores, such as antelopes or even bison. But ostriches do not like to make friends with other birds;
• Being birds, ostriches are nevertheless unusually hardy, they can be ridden or harnessed to a cart, which many of their owners successfully do;
• Unlike birds, which fly well but move slowly on the ground, with ostriches the opposite is true.

We think that we have the right to attribute ordinary ostriches to the animal world to the same extent as people - after all, everything living on this planet necessarily belongs to either plants or animals. But still, they are dominated by features inherent specifically to birds. Judge for yourself:

• Yes, their wings are undeveloped, but they do exist;
• Almost 80% of their entire body is covered with feathers, as it should be among a feathered tribe;
• The ostrich does not have tusks or teeth, but it does have a real beak. In the era of dinosaurs, by the way, there were Archeopteryxes that had both a beak and teeth, but they, unfortunately, became extinct long ago;
• the female ostrich, as befits birds, lays eggs and incubates them.

Therefore, it is not surprising that scientists have come to the conclusion that the ostrich is still a bird, and not an animal. Although there are similarities with both, the habits and many characteristics of the ostrich give reason to say so.

Variety of plumage

Almost all subspecies of ostrich are covered in feathers the same way, although the color of the feathers, beak and paws may vary. The same applies to color differences between males and females of the same subspecies.

The main plumage is loose and curly and covers:

• torso;
• wings and tail.

In addition to feathers, there is also down, but only very short. It covers:

• head and neck;
• the upper half of the legs (the lower half is covered with large scales).

The down, as we said, is short, it is almost invisible, so from a distance the areas covered with it look bare.

The male mates with the female. It stands out and attracts females thanks to its luxurious plumage

How to distinguish a male from a female

There is a definite difference in the color of ostrich feathers between male and female ostriches, as well as additional sexual dimorphism. In particular:

• males are much larger than females;
• The color of the feathers in males is strictly black, while in females the feathers are gray-brown;
• The tips of the feathers on the wings and tail of males are white and pure, while in females they are off-white.

It is also interesting to observe what different individuals in one flock look like. Although permanent staff a pack usually does not, however, some kind of hierarchy prevails in it. In particular, individuals of a higher “class” - alpha - pull their neck and tail straight up, trying to demonstrate their superiority to others. The remaining individuals hold their tail and neck at an angle, which is a unique form of submission.

Poachers have been shooting ostriches for decades, but now they are under protection

Accommodation and meals

At night these birds rest. Ostriches' sleep is very peculiar:

• Birds spend part of the night lying on the ground with their necks stretched out. This is the so-called deep sleep phase, but it does not last long;
• then a much longer period of half-asleep begins - the ostriches sit on the ground, raising their necks high, but at the same time closing their eyes;
• both phases periodically replace each other.

During the day, when it is very hot, ostriches also have a kind of siesta. The main activity occurs at dusk. Being stupid birds, ostriches are nevertheless very careful, although they cannot be called particularly timid either.

The keen vision of these birds allows them to see a threat a kilometer away, so when feeding, they occasionally raise their heads and look around. Ostriches are omnivores, they also eat plant foods - flowers, fruits and shoots, and also do not disdain small animals - insects, reptiles and rodents. Domestic ostriches eat 3.5 kilos of food per day.

By the way, the ostrich is able to go without water for quite a long time, since the plants it eats contain quite a lot of moisture. However, in captivity they willingly drink water, and a lot, and even like to have water baths.

Scientists once found out how long ostriches live. It turned out that their age is approximately equal to that of a human, i.e. 75 years. In one zoo in Europe, a South African ostrich lived for almost half a century, although it was brought there as an adult.

Ostrich brain and memory

The ostrich's brain is approximately the size of its eye, although it is worth noting that the bird's eyes are quite large, about the size of an average domestic chicken egg. The brain weighs about 35 grams, so it is believed that ostriches are not able to remember any information for a long time - for a minute, no more.

Behavior in times of danger

Having noticed an approaching predator, the ostrich prefers not to mess with it, but to quickly get away. By the way, this is precisely the peculiar symbiosis of this species of birds with herbivores - those who cannot see that far. Grazing in the same company with them, ostriches perform the functions of a kind of guards. As soon as the ostrich “gives it a go”, all the animals - antelopes or bison - begin to flee with it.

Thanks to their vision, ostriches can see a predator several kilometers away.

How ostriches attack

Reasonable caution in the event of danger is inherent in ostriches only during the non-breeding period. But their behavior changes dramatically when they begin to hatch a clutch of eggs. Here these birds are already capable of showing extraordinary courage.

The number of eggs in a clutch is on average 15 - 20, although in East Africa their number reaches up to 60. The clutches hatch alternately, both females during the day, since the color of their feathers allows them to better camouflage themselves in the area, and males at night.

On ostrich eggs Among the predators - hyenas and jackals - there is a real hunt, especially since during the day the clutches are often left open, giving access to the rays of the hot sun. But if an ostrich happens to be nearby and manages to notice a creeping predator, its reaction will be definitely aggressive:

• first the bird tries to scare the enemy by stretching its neck and opening its wings wide, thus increasing in size;
• if the threat has no effect, the ostrich accelerates and attacks using the power of its paws. The enemy is either trampled or hit with a paw with a force that can break even a lion's skull.

But usually the same hyenas hunt ostrich eggs in packs - while a couple of individuals distract the warlike parent, the rest get to the clutch.

Young ostrich chicks do not leave their parents until they are two years old, after which they disperse

Reproduction and offspring

The mating period in birds of the ostrich family lasts five months, starting in the first month of summer and ending in mid-autumn. But this is for individuals living in humid areas of Africa. Ostriches living in deserts can mate all year round.

During the mating season, stable flocks of dozens of birds break up. Each male “captures” a certain area ranging from two to 15 square kilometers, carefully expelling everyone from it possible competitors. Males call females with special talk. Individual:

• kneels down;
• begins to beat its wings in rhythm;
• throws his head back, rubbing the back of his head against his neck.

The neck and legs of males at such moments become bright red. When mating, they make both hissing and trumpeting sounds, taking in a full crop of air and releasing it through a long esophagus - a kind of roar is obtained.

A male can cover several females, but forms a pair with only one of them. All females lay eggs in a nesting hole specially dug by the male, from 30 to 60 centimeters deep.

All females have a common clutch; only the dominant female collects her eggs in the center. When all the eggs have been laid, the older female chases away the others and begins incubation. During the day, other females will replace her from time to time. The incubation period takes about a month to a month and a half.

Features of chicks

A mature ostrich chick breaks the egg shell for about an hour. After all the surviving chicks come out, the remaining eggs are broken by the older birds to attract flies - the chicks will feed on flies for the first time. Hatched baby ostrich:

• has vision;
• covered with fluff;
• can move independently;
• weighs a little more than a kilogram, but by the age of four months it increases its mass to 20 kilos.

Usually the chicks even different ages They become attached to each other, mix, and it becomes impossible to separate the chicks of one group from another. A real battle begins among the parents to take care of the group, and the winners have to take care of chicks of different ages.

For the first two months, the “babies” have a yellow bristly covering and look more like hedgehogs. A little later, feathers appear on their body, the color of which matches the color of the feathers of the female mother. Male chicks acquire black feathers only in their second year. By three to four years of age, individuals are ready to mate.

Local names of ostriches

In Africa, the natives have different names for female and baby ostriches. When the grown chick is ready to mate, it is called “edlim” (black and smooth), and before that the chicks and their mothers are called “ribeda” (dark gray). The natives call the ostriches themselves “naamot” (soft and beautiful).

conclusions

So, we found out that the ostrich is a bird, not an animal. Do you know where they live, what they feed on and what their behavior is like? different periods time. If this information interests you and you want to start breeding these birds, we will be happy to help you with our advice.

“Hey, little bird! Let's fly with me! - remember the words from a cartoon beloved by many in the past. The African ostrich immediately comes to mind, strong and beautiful.

The African ostrich is a bird familiar to everyone since childhood.

Characteristic signs of ostriches

In the living world, the African ostrich is the most large bird. His height reaches two and a half meters, and his weight reaches 180 kg. They eat plant foods, but do not disdain insects and small vertebrates. Ratites often swallow non-edible objects: rags, nuts, pieces of iron, sand.

Birds' eyes are too big. Thick, dark eyelashes protect them from dust, sand, and dirt. African ostriches have an oval body covered with soft, down-like feathers. Chicks have darker plumage than adult birds. Legs are pride and protection. They are strong, long, and have only two fingers. At the moment of danger, the African ostrich can reach speeds of about 70 km/h. The neck of representatives of this species is long. She helps to get juicy leaves from tall trees, the ability to see danger in time. Ratites cannot fly (heavy weight, loose plumage), although their wings are developed and strong.

Wings serve to attract the opposite sex during the mating season. The mating dance is reminiscent of black grouse and wood grouse. The main male is able to fertilize all the females, but only one of them will help hatch the eggs - the dominant one.

A male African ostrich uses his luxurious plumage to attract females.

Kinds

This bird belongs to the ostrich family. There were once five species. Since 1966, the Syrian species has been considered extinct. The remaining ones include: common, Somali, Masai and southern. They differ in the shade of their plumage and the color of their neck.

Ostrich body structure

The body of ratites is covered with feathers, evenly distributed, without any gaps. Their feathers are soft, curly, not interlocked, like those of other birds. Pectoral muscles weak, rib cage flat, devoid of a keel (hence the name ratite). The wingspan reaches two meters, but due to the characteristics of the feather, weak muscles, lack of collarbones, the bird is not adapted for flight. The skeleton bones are strong. The absence of internal cavities is not conducive to planning. Ostriches do not have a goiter. Feces and urine are separated from each other, unlike other representatives of the class.

The ostrich's weak wings prevent it from flying

Habitat

Representatives of the ostrich family live on the warmest continent of our planet on both sides of the equator. The male ostrich is polygamous. His family includes several females, although he singles out one of them. It is she who helps him hatch chicks, raise them, and take care of their offspring. The leading lady has slight privileges in the herd.

Quite often, the ostrich lives together with zebras and antelopes. The latter have nothing against this, and even give them places with richer food.

Him Long neck, sharp vision, sensitive hearing. It is difficult for the enemy to surprise him. The ostrich will certainly notice the enemy and warn everyone in the area about the danger. close surroundings. He is able to spot a predator at a distance of more than five kilometers. Noticing the danger, the bird gives a loud cry and rushes to run. Running speed at the moment of danger can exceed 70 km/h.

The ostrich has excellent eyesight and can see a predator at a distance of 5 km

Features of the bird

Wide known fact that ostriches do not fly. They cannot fly due to their skeletal structure, plumage and large body mass. But they move faster than a horse. Even small ostrich chicks, about a month old, are already capable of running at a speed of 50 km/h. This is not their only feature.

Ostriches differ from other representatives of the class in the structure of their fingers. They only have two toes. One of them is keratinized. This helps well when walking and long runs. Long claw on thumb looks like camel hooves. The literal translation of the name of ratites into Russian sounds like “camel sparrow.”

Another feature is the egg. The African ostrich has the largest egg. One of these can easily fit 24 chickens. If we compare it with the size of the bird, then this ratio will be slightly less than that of a chicken.

It was mentioned above that among all ladies there is a dominant one. She is the one who hatches the chicks. The male is preparing the nest. Everyone else lays eggs in it. The main female places her eggs in the very center. This is one of the main privileges of the First Lady. During the day she incubates, at night she is replaced by the leader of the herd.

The dominant female has the right to lay eggs in the center of the nest

How do ostrich chicks develop?

It takes a long time to hatch ostrich chicks. Only after 40 days the chicks are born. Each of them weighs just over a kilogram, otherwise he would not survive. Ostrich chicks grow and develop quickly. After a couple of months they have real plumage. They gain strength and soon begin to move at the speed of adult birds. Young ostriches remain under the protection of their parents for about two years. Then they leave the nest and create their own harems.

There are no orphans in ostrich families. If different families meet in the same territory, they try to lure other people’s chicks to themselves.

In nature, there are herds with many ostrich chicks (300 or more).

Young ostriches live with their parents for up to two years, after which they go their separate ways.

Are ratites facing extinction?

Representatives of this class were mercilessly exterminated, killed, and are doing so today. They are often hunted for their plumage. African ostrich feathers are used as a decorative element in costumes and interior design. Fashion designers love to use it in their products. Ostrich skin is thin, yet durable and soft. It was adapted for the manufacture of clothing, shoes, and accessories. They have incredibly tasty meat that can satisfy the taste of even knowledgeable gourmets. Eggs are edible, nutritious, and rich in vitamins. Because of this, bird hunting continues today.

This caused the extinction of an entire species of the ratite family in 1966. But today more ostrich farms have begun to appear.

Representatives of the family have adapted to almost any living conditions. Not only in hot countries, but also in temperate latitudes of our planet they are bred. Thanks to this, as well as many nature reserves and zoos, they are no longer in danger of extinction.

After decades of mass shooting, ostriches are finally protected by law.

Some interesting facts about ostriches:

This is so interesting, at the same time unusual, beautiful, strong bird African ostrich. It's worth seeing them with your own eyes and admiring them. unusual appearance, by force.

The world's largest ostrich is the African ostrich. And it must be said that these birds grow to truly impressive sizes. An adult ostrich can be up to 2.7 m tall and weigh approximately 156 kg. But not only big sizes The ostrich attracts attention to him, as well as his manner of caring for a lady, hatching and then raising offspring and a lot of other interesting features.

We will tell you more about ostriches and their habits in this article.

Where and how do African ostriches settle?

The African ostrich lives on a hot continent in the savannah and semi-desert areas, on both sides of the equator. Throughout his life, the male remains faithful to one dominant female. But since he, despite his family, usually includes several more representatives of the fairer sex, among whom he singles out his “lady of the heart.” So an ostrich family walks across the savannah: a male, a dominant female, several females according to rank, and ostrich chicks.

You can often see these grazing together with zebras or antelopes, making long treks with them across the plains. Artiodactyls do not drive them away, because they, thanks to their excellent vision and tall, can see a moving predator at a great distance - up to 5 km.

In case of danger, emitting a warning sound, this huge bird runs away (and the speed of the ostrich in case of danger reaches 70 km/h). The herd, warned by the bird, also scatters. So having such a sentinel is very beneficial for herbivores!

A little about the power of the ostrich

The ostrich prefers not to face danger, but it cannot be considered cowardly, because if the bird does have to face a lion or other attacker, in battle it shows itself as a brave warrior. Strong ostrich legs are an excellent weapon. One blow from such a limb is enough to seriously injure, or even kill, a lion or break a thick tree trunk.

No, the ostrich bird does not hide its head in the sand. She simply prudently avoids danger, and even then only during the non-nesting period. And during nesting or if it is impossible to avoid a collision, everything is met as a real warrior. The ostrich fluffs up its feathers and begins to move towards the enemy, and if he is not lucky enough to escape, he will be trampled! This is probably why all predators try to avoid meeting this bird, because they keep a respectful distance from the ostrich.

Ostrich - flightless bird

The ostrich cannot fly - this is a well-known fact. This is how nature ordered it. His muscles in the thoracic region are poorly developed, his wings are underdeveloped, and the ostrich's feathers, curly and loose, do not form tightly closed hard fan blades. Its skeleton is not pneumatic.

But this bird runs faster than a horse! Its long, two-toed legs are excellent for walking long distances and running. Already at one month of age, the speed of a baby ostrich can reach 50 km/h. A running ostrich takes steps, each up to 4 m long and, if necessary, can make a sharp turn without slowing down, and even lie flat on the ground.

By the way, how many fingers the African ostrich has greatly helps him in the process of walking. The bird's toes are flattened, equipped with pads on the sole. In addition, there are only two of them, and they are very similar in appearance to the soft hoof of a camel. It’s not for nothing that the word “ostrich” is translated from Greek as “camel sparrow.” The largest of the bird's toes is equipped with something similar to both a claw and a hoof - the bird rests on it while running.

What does an African ostrich look like?

What the African ostrich looks like is probably no secret to anyone - it is a dense bird with a long, featherless neck, which is crowned with a flattened small head with large eyes and a beak.

The beak is soft, decorated with a keratinized growth on the beak. You can’t ignore the huge eyes of the ostrich, covered with long eyelashes. Each of them, by the way, has a volume equal to the brain of this bird.

Males have brighter plumage than females, which are decorated with gray-brown feathers with off-white tips on the tail and wings. And their cavaliers can boast of black “tailcoats” with bright white feathers on the wings and tail.

Different subspecies of the African ostrich differ mainly in the color of the neck, legs, size and some biological features: the number of eggs in the nest, the presence or absence of litter there, as well as the structure of the eggshell.

How an ostrich creates a harem for itself

During the mating period, the current African ostrich creates a harem for itself. He spreads his wings, fluffs out his feathers and slowly kneels down. Then she throws her head back and rubs it on her back - such a “gypsy” does not leave indifferent the females, who allow themselves to be covered and become members of the same family.

True, in this harem there will be one “first lady” - a dominant female, whom the ostrich chooses once and for life. And the rest of the females from the harem may change from time to time. The “First Lady,” of course, does not forget to periodically demonstrate who is boss here, giving a thrashing to her associates.

In the ostrich family, you can easily determine the rank of each one. The father of the family himself walks ahead, his “lady of the heart” follows him with her head held high, and the rest of the females and cubs follow, bowing their heads.

The ostrich's speed is not its only feature

The ostrich lays her eggs in one nest, which the male digs in the ground or sand. As a result, there are up to 30 of them, and for ostriches living in East Africa, up to 60. True, the dominant female makes sure that her eggs are located in the center of the clutch, and the rest are around. This is how the law of survival through numbers works.

The ostrich egg is the largest in the world (it is 24 times larger than a chicken egg), but if you compare it with the size of the hen itself, it is the smallest! What a case!

A dominant ostrich sits on a nest during the day. It serves as a kind of conditioner for eggs, preventing them from cooking in 50-degree heat. And at night the male climbs on them to save them from hypothermia.

How do ostriches develop?

Black African ostriches are born after 40 days, strong, covered with brownish bristles sticking out in all directions, and the chicks usually weigh about 1.2 kg. They very quickly learn to figure out how and what they can eat, and after a couple of months they replace their down with feathers the same as their mother’s, but do not leave their family for another 2 years.

True, if the paths of two families with ostrich chicks cross in the savannah, then each of them will try to grab the babies for themselves and add them to their brood. Because of this, there are families with up to 300 cubs of different ages.

After a year, the baby ostrich is ready for independence, but for some time he will live with his brothers and sisters in the same flock. Until his time comes to dance his amazing mating dance in front of the lady.

An emu is not an ostrich!

Now let's move from Africa to Australia. The emu bird, which is very similar to the African ostrich, does not live on this continent. Until the 80s of the last century, it was considered a relative of ostriches. But then their classification was revised, and now they belong to the order Cassowariformes.

After the ostrich, it is the second largest bird. It grows up to 180 cm in height and weighs up to 55 kg. And in appearance, the emu resembles the described bird, although the body is more compressed from the sides and looks stocky, and the legs and neck are shorter, which, by the way, gives a completely different impression overall.

The emu (we will call it that in the old fashioned way) has black-brown feathers, and its head and neck are black. Only specialists can distinguish males from females in these birds, and only during the mating season.

Emu can run too

The emu has an atypical feather cover, which helps the bird to be active even in the midday heat. Its feathers have a hair-like structure and resemble wool in appearance. Therefore, if the body of an emu, decorated long feathers, looks like a living mop, then on the neck and head of the bird they are curly and short.

Like the African ostrich, it has fairly long, strong legs. Only in emus they are armed not with two, but with three three-phalanx fingers. The speed of an ostrich in case of danger reaches 50 km/h, but the bird’s talents are not limited to this. She still floats perfectly on the water and, despite her weight, can swim quite long distances.

How do emus reproduce?

Emus eat mostly plant foods - grass, roots, berries and seeds. True, in moments of hunger, birds do not disdain insects. Since emus do not have teeth, they, like African ostriches, are forced to swallow small pebbles so that they fall into digestive system food could be further crushed.

Emus have practically no enemies in nature, so they live in small families - from two to five birds. In such a family there is one male and several females. Male emus are wonderful daddies. They take on the entire burden of caring for the offspring, starting from the moment when the female lays several eggs in a hole dug by them.

The fact is that, like African ostriches, these ones look after all the ladies of their flock at once, so the time to lay eggs comes almost simultaneously. And to lay them, the females go to the nest that the suitor demonstrated. This is how it turns out that in one place there are up to 25 eggs from different females. The emu egg is large, dark green, covered with a thick shell.

Male emu performs a parental feat

Only the male incubates the eggs of the emu. He hoists himself on the nest, and the female, on the contrary, leaves him as soon as all the eggs have been laid. Hatching lasts up to 56 days. Moreover, no one replaces the male. Sometimes he allows himself to get up to stretch his legs and walks around the nest or goes to drink water and eats a leaf or blade of grass along the way. This diet happy father for now it is limited.

Emus lose up to 15% of their weight during hatching, but this does not prevent them from being attentive and caring dads when, after 2 months, spotted and fluffy babies are born.

Ostriches are not in danger of extinction

The beauty of the feathers and the strength of the skin of these birds almost led to the fact that even the famous speed of the ostrich could no longer save them in case of danger. - they were mercilessly exterminated. Thus, in 1966, the Middle Eastern species of these birds was determined to be extinct.

But, thanks to the fact that since the end of the 19th century. Their breeding on farms has begun, and the total number of ostriches is no longer in danger. They are bred in almost fifty countries of the world, regardless of climate.

This bird is unpretentious in keeping, can withstand large temperature changes, and its meat, according to experts, tastes like lean beef, not to mention the strong and beautiful skin that is used for production. various products, and about eggs (a scrambled egg from one ostrich is equal to a dish of twenty chicken eggs).

Feathers from birds are not pulled out, but cut close to the surface of the skin twice a year. By the way, only deserved ones are suitable for this procedure - two-, three-year-old males and older. In individuals younger age feathers have no commercial value.

• the size of one egg is 25 times larger than a chicken egg;
• the wingspan can be about 2 meters;
• thanks to the presence long eyelashes Birds are not afraid of dust, sun and strong gusts of wind.

Ostriches are among the birds that are perfectly adapted not only to living in wild environment, but also in conditions of captivity. They have powerful, well-developed limbs and large live weight. Unlike other birds, ostriches do not have a keel; they have a head small size with a long massive neck. The wings are not fully developed and are distinguished by the absence of a flight feather. In the wild they can be found in Africa or Australia. Birds are mainly inhabitants of savannas or semi-desert areas. The domestic ostrich has enormous height and more than decent body weight.

Poultry farmers are looking closely at the weight of these wonderful birds. On average, the weight of one ostrich is more than 250 kg, everything here is connected with the species to which the individual belongs. Among the most famous breeds are the following:

• African ostrich:
• emu (second name - Australian);
• gorayo (Somali).

African ostriches

The place of residence of the largest birds in the world is located on African continent. Birds are not adapted for flight, but can move very quickly, which is facilitated by well-developed limbs. The bird can reach a running speed of about 50 km/h; the length of one step is approximately 3 meters.

An adult bird reaches a height of 2.5 to 3 meters, with an average weight of more than 160 kg. If the food supply is excellent, then ostriches gain weight of about 250 kg. Females usually weigh 49 kg less.

A young bird weighs about 2 kg.

Australian emu

The habitat of such an ostrich is in bushy or grassy areas. The once large population became much smaller with the advent of European settlers in Australia. These birds are currently protected at the national level.

Australian birds are inferior to their relatives from Africa; they begin to incubate eggs after gaining a mass of 55 kg. The basis of the diet is leaves, grass, and fruits. With the onset of winter, emus begin to feed on insects. These ostriches can swim well, and while running they reach a speed of just over 50 km/h.

Adult birds reach a height of about 2 meters, at maximum weight at 60 kg. The average weight of a chick is 0.4 kg, sometimes a little more.

Somali ostriches

They belong to a large subspecies of ostriches, where their homeland is located - it is already clear from the name. According to some scientists, Gorayo can be classified as a separate species. The study showed reproductive isolation from other species.

Among the features are decent dimensions along with weight in females. Males are somewhat smaller than their female counterparts. The wings are armed with spurs, and the presence of a horny claw is also noted.

The average weight of a chick is 1.5 kg, and over the next 240 days they gain up to 20 kg. At the age of 4 years, the bird weighs on average 175 kg and grows to a height of 2.5 meters.

The hatched chicks are approximately 25 cm in size, and every 30 days it doubles in size. TO mature age The height of the ostrich will reach 2.5 meters. When bred on a farm, birds gain maximum weight and size by the age of three. But, as a rule, they are not allowed to live up to such years; the bird is sent for slaughter at 1.5 years.