There are currently over 10,000 species of birds on our planet. Almost all of them can fly. But among them there is a separate group of birds, popularly called heavy giants. They not only can't fly, they can't even get off the ground! They don't even have wings, just decorative appendages. Of course, we are talking about true ostriches and their distant relatives - emu, cassowary and rhea. You can see photos of all these birds in our article. So, today we will tell you about the amazing flightless birds, their records, and also dwell on the ostrich with the charismatic name of nandu.
Who are ostriches?
Ostrich (photo 1) is the largest bird in the world. Ornithologists have found that adult males of these giants can grow up to 2.5 meters in height and weigh almost a centner! In addition, when running, adult ostriches are able to reach speeds of up to 50 km / h and run for about 30 minutes. They are excellenthearing and vision are developed. All these abilities provide ostriches with excellent protection against modern predators. The exception is a person who has learned to deftly hunt these amazing creatures of nature.
Why don't ostriches fly?
According to calculations once presented by physicists, ornithologists came to the conclusion that only those birds whose body weight does not exceed 12 kilograms can move through the air with the help of active flapping flight and rely only on the strength of their own muscles. Larger birds can only glide in the air due to updrafts. What can we say about heavy ostriches! These giants existed during the age of the dinosaurs, but even then they could not take to the air.
It is curious that, for example, the South American ostrich called nandu, although it does not fly, is already very close to the upper limit of the weight range of flying birds. For example, a large rhea pulls 25 kilograms, and its small "colleague" - Darwin's rhea - does not exceed 15 kilograms at all. Perhaps someday these creatures will soar into the sky. Speaking about the body weight of modern ostriches, one cannot fail to mention their peculiar rating.
Who is he - the largest ostrich in the world?
This is an African ostrich (the photo is presented in the article). Currently, he is the largest and strongest representative of the class of birds on Earth. It has been recorded that the largest African ostrich reaches a height of 2.7 meters and weighs 130 kilograms. Some ornithologists mentionabout individuals weighing 150 kilograms. Females of these giants grow only up to 1.9 meters and weigh between 75 and 96 kilograms.
Who is second in the ranking of feathered giants?
Think it's a rhea ostrich? Not! This is a helmeted cassowary that lives on the island of New Guinea. In terms of the size and mass of his body, it is he who ranks second in the ranking of the largest birds on Earth. Its weight is 80 kilograms with a body height of 1.5 meters. He got his name due to a peculiar outgrowth in the form of a helmet on his head.
The largest ostriches. Third place
The third place of honor in the hierarchy of feathered heavyweights is awarded to the world-famous emus. These creatures weigh up to 50 kilograms. They can reach up to 1.9 meters in length. Emus live in Australia and belong to the cassowary order. Despite their imposing size, these creatures try to avoid densely populated areas, arid zones and dense forests.
Who is this Nandu ostrich?
Nandu is a species of ostriches belonging to the family of flightless birds and representing the squad of rhea. His homeland is South America. For this, the rhea was nicknamed the South American (or American) ostrich. Nandu is a bird that can be safely called the “double” of the African ostrich! The fact is that outwardly this creature very much resembles the largest bird in the world, but the degree of their relationship still causes discussions and scientific disputes among ornithologists.
Where does the nandu live?
They are widely distributed throughout Argentina, Chile and Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and, of course, Brazil. A separate species of them - Darwin's nandu - is also found in the south of Peru. These creatures mostly prefer open areas of the savanna type, for example, the Andes mountain plateaus or the so-called Patagonian lowlands. The northern rhea can also be seen in the lowest areas with a warm climate. Recently, scientists have made a whole discovery: Darwin's rhea can live both at altitudes up to 4.5 kilometers, and in the subpolar extreme south of South America.
What does the American ostrich eat?
Nandu, like most other ostriches, feed on everything that gets under their feet. In other words, they are omnivorous birds. In particular, they eat broad-leaved plants, fruits, seeds, tree rhizomes, insects, and even small vertebrates (rodents, frogs). Nandu, like camels, can go without water for a long time. The fact is that they easily fill this need from the food they eat.
Like many other large flightless birds, these creatures regularly ingest gastrolith stones to help them grind food in their stomachs. There is an opinion among the people that nandu are fearless exterminators of poisonous snakes. It should be noted that it is wrong. Ornithologists have not yet documented any such case.
Nandu. Lifestyle
As a rule, the South American ostrich is an adherent of the daytime lifestyle. Only extremely hot weather can prevent him from living during the day. At this time, nandu are awake in the evening or at night. These birds prefer to stay in herds of 10 to 35 individuals. Such a family usually includes several males, several females and young. These creatures are polygamous; one male during the mating season "serves" several females at once. Females lay their eggs in a common nest. Incubation continues for 6 weeks, after which ostriches are born.
Why was the ostrich named rhea?
It's all about his peculiar voice. The American ostrich makes the roar of a large predator, such as a lion, rather than true bird sounds. Moreover, when this creature bawls, you can clearly hear the word "nan-du". It was this word that stuck to the name of the ostrich and came to many languages of the world. Ornithologists have noticed that such sounds mainly come from males during the mating season. By the way, the rhea can also make other hoarse sounds. They serve as a danger signal and warn relatives. An ostrich may hiss when angry.
