One of the most amazing species of birds on our planet is ostriches. They live on Earth for several million years, but the world is changing, but birds are not. We think they are stupid, hiding their heads in the sand. But is it really so? In fact, the intelligence of these flightless birds is much higher than we imagine.
Short description
The most obvious fact about ostriches is the bird's gigantic growth, which can reach 2.5 meters. With this growth, individual individuals can reach a weight of 180-250 kilograms.
These are omnivores. Although they feed mainly on plant foods, they do not disdain worms and small animals.
Females and males can be identified by color. In males, the tail and wings are black and white, while the purses are completely brown and gray. All ostriches have 2 fingers on each foot, with a long claw, up to 10 centimeters.
Feathers are social birds and in the wild there are flocks of up to 100 individuals. But more often they live in colonies of 10 birds. Ostriches have a hierarchy. There must be a dominantthe female, or main laying hen, as well as the male who protects the entire flock.
In the ostrich family, both partners incubate the eggs. Clutch contains 2 to 5 eggs. Babies are born after 40 days and after 2 days they are able to travel with their parents. Dad is protecting the cubs.
On average, ostriches live 30-40 years, but there are some individuals who live up to half a century.
In the wild, ostriches live on the African continent, mainly in semi-desert areas. Due to the large number of farms for breeding these birds, they are not on the verge of extinction.
Head in the sand
The most interesting fact about ostriches is that they hide their heads in the sand. Actually this is a delusion. For certain, it was not possible to understand why the birds put their heads to the ground. It is believed that they are trying to hear the vibration from approaching animals, birds, or other danger. According to another version, ostriches collect a lot of food from the ground, these are the same worms, herbs, nuts, so very often their head is lowered. According to the third version, birds very often lay their eggs in the mud, and to check the condition of future children, they bend down to the ground.
A born runner
Another interesting fact about ostriches is that they are great runners. Indeed, a bird can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. At the same time, it maintains this speed for a long time, up to 20 kilometers. This is due only to the fact that in the natural environment the bird has many enemies, so if you want to live, run. In Africaonly the cheetah runs faster.
The stride length of the bird is 3-4 meters. And high growth allows you to determine the danger from afar. When an ostrich tries to slow down or change direction, it spreads its wings.
In some African countries and in the USA, one of the most popular spectacles is the ostrich race. To this day, Arizona hosts a festival dedicated to these unique birds, where you can watch them race.
How does a bird sleep?
Another interesting fact about ostriches: birds sleep standing up. At the same time, they blink very often, and the head is always held high. If you look at ostriches, it is impossible to understand whether they are sleeping or not.
Another interesting fact is that in a dream the bird very abruptly and often changes from one sleep phase to another, which allows it to sleep quickly. And most importantly, even in a dream, a bird cannot be taken by surprise.
Stomach stones
A bird needs about 3.5 kilograms of food per day. However, most of these products require additional processing. Birds do not have teeth, and the stomach does not always cope with nuts, lizards and other prey.
In the lists of interesting facts about ostriches for children, it is often mentioned that the bird actually eats stones, glass and other sharp small objects. She does this in order to additionally grind the incoming food in the stomach. However, over time, the stones are ground to dust and new ones are required. Platypuses do the same.
The biggest eggs in the world
Reallyostriches are the largest eggs among all flightless birds. And this is quite justified, because the bird is also the largest.
On average, 1 ostrich egg replaces 20 chicken eggs and weighs about 1.5 kilograms, which is enough for breakfast for the whole family. In 2008, farmers in Sweden discovered an ostrich egg weighing 2.3 kilograms. This unique egg was listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
And what is most interesting about ostriches, or rather about their eggs, in order to get the contents, they often use a drill to drill at least a small hole. And it takes at least two hours to boil an egg.
Mating dance
During the mating season, the males begin to dance in front of the females. Interestingly, males can dance not only in front of representatives of their own kind, but also in front of other bird species, even in front of people. At the same time, each bird in the dance shows individual features in its movements.
First, the bird sits down on its knees, turning them in the other direction and actively spreads its feathers, shakes them. Then the whole body of the male sways, the head nods. If the bird notices the interest of others in a certain movement, the male will begin to repeat it again and again.
African ostrich
Interesting fact: this is the only representative of the ostrich genus.
- Feathers get better from eating locusts.
- When birds can't bathe, they roll around in the dust and sand to rid their feathers of parasites.
- In the absence of waterostriches eat asphodyl roots, on such a diet they can last up to 6 days in a row.
In fact, despite its large size, the bird is very shy. When danger comes, ostriches panic, rush about and try to escape. Only in extreme cases does the bird engage in combat, fighting off with powerful claws, beak and wing spurs.
The ostrich is considered a good actor. If danger threatens babies, then the male runs in a zigzag, falls as if he were wounded, and while the predator is chasing him, other individuals lead the young away from danger.
An interesting fact about ostriches is that they never hide from the rain, even if there is a shelter nearby. And the males sprinkle the first eggs with dust, but to this day it has not been possible to understand why they do this.
Unique emus
These birds are slightly smaller than the African counterpart. The emu lives in Australia. Some scientists believe that these birds are not rightfully attributed to the genus of ostriches, they are a separate species. Indeed, in the 80s of the last century, the classification was revised, the bird was assigned to the cassowary genus. The emu is the second largest flightless bird after the ostrich.
Earlier in the world, the emu genus was represented by three species, today only one remains. The emu is believed to have originated from a dinosaur. But it is this bird that is very easy to tame, they are obedient and very curious.
The bird is 190 cm tall and weighs about 55 kg. The females of these birds are larger than the males. Individuals of this species can reach speeds of up to 55kilometers per hour, but the step width is only 2.75 cm. But the birds run about 25 kilometers a day. A bird can live up to 20 years, but in captivity this period is halved.
Interesting Emu Facts:
- the bird perfectly tolerates temperature changes, from -5 to +45 degrees Celsius;
- birds of this species have never been diagnosed with any disease;
- individuals have three toes on their feet;
- birds live alone and never gather in flocks;
- individuals of this species are excellent swimmers;
- bird swallows food whole;
- singing male during the mating season is carried by 2 kilometers;
- average egg size is 900 grams;
- babies are gaining weight quickly, 1 kilogram per week;
- a bird can't move backwards, like a kangaroo.
Emu is the only bird in the world that has calf muscles on its legs.
In conclusion
Ostriches are peaceful creatures, but if necessary, they will be able to stand up for themselves, their flock and offspring. It is believed that earlier the birds coped well with lions and people.
Birds have the largest eyes of any land creature. The diameter of the eyeball is 5 centimeters. Ostriches do not have a gland that would protect their plumage from water, so when it rains, the bird gets completely wet.
