Distribution:  Formerly ranged throughout Africa, Syria and Saudi Arabia.  Somali race is found in Somalia, Ethiopia and northern Kenya.  Masai race is found in Kenya and northern Tanzania.

Habitat:  Open savannah woodlands, open scrub, grasslands and gravel plains in deserts.  Partial to recently burnt areas.

Food and Feeding Methods:  Mainly vegetarian, taking herbs and grasses, seeds, fruits, flowers and pods of acacia species, grains, groundnuts in farm areas, and succulents.  Sometimes take small reptiles and insects.  Forages by walking about, head held low, and pecking food from ground.

Behavior:  Gregarious, polygamous males. Sociable, often seen in groups of 5 to 10, and sometimes as many as 30 to 40 birds when not breeding.  Breeding unit is average of 1 male to 3 females in drier years but otherwise nearly monogamous.  Males perform elaborate displays in courtship and distraction when breeding.  Walk about foraging in selected short-grass areas and will congregate in places where there have been concentrations of antelope, probably to feed on beetles.  Up to 600 birds may gather at waterholes in deserts.  Very vigilant and may panic and run at slightest danger, causing nearby antelope to run without any idea of original threat.  Males are extremely aggressive during breeding season and will run almost a mile to chase and attack a potential threat to the nest.  Adults and young of 1 month or more can run at speeds up to 37 mph, sometimes with wings spread held out for balance.

Reproduction:  Breed throughout year.  Nest is a scrape, 10 feet in diameter, in the ground.  Average of 15 to 20 eggs are laid in single clutch to which several females may contribute.  Each female lays 3 to 8 eggs, depending on age and rank.  Up to 44 eggs have been recorded in single clutch.  Eggs are deep creamy yellow, glossy with deep pore marks, and about 6 x 5 inches in size.  Incubation is 39 to 54 days.  Male usually incubates eggs from late afternoon until sunrise the next day, while highest-ranking female incubates for rest of day.  Chicks are precocial and run about immediately after hatching.  Due to high predation, chicks often join other broods of differing ages for protection.  Both sexes provide parental care.

Status:  Still common in East and southern Africa but extinct over much of its former range. 

Adaptations:  Largest living bird, ostrich belongs to group of flightless birds called ‘ratites’ that includes kiwis, emus, cassowaries and rheas. 

Male ostrich’s black feathers provide better camouflage at night when males incubate eggs while female’s brown coloring is better camouflage during daytime incubation.

Ostriches have been domesticated and farmed for their meat and superior plumes.  Only wing and tail plumes are harvested and used for dusters and dress trimmings though they were used at one time for ladies’ hats.  Ostrich leather is also used to make gloves, handbags and shoes.

Young/Juvenile Appearance:  Chick’s body is covered with black and white bristles overlying buff down, with striped buff and black on head and neck.  Underparts are off-white.  Juvenile resembles female with white on wings and tail appearing in second year.

Voice:  Breeding male utters dull booming 4-syllabled roar, boo boo booooh hoo, like that of a lion in the distance.  Female and immature ostriches utter soft twittering call.

Height:      6 ½  - 8 ft.                       Weight:      130 - 180 lbs. (up to 347 lbs. recorded)

The Story of Fire

Near the beginning of time . . . 

The Mantis, giver of many things to humans, discovered an Ostrich, a superb flyer at the time, cooking his food over a fire.  Amazed, the Mantis soon realized what an advantage fire was.  Finished cooking, the Ostrich picked up the fire and tucked it under his wing.  The Mantis began to plot how he could trick the Ostrich into giving up the fire.  He brought the Ostrich to a high tree filled with fruit.  Encouraged by the Mantis, the Ostrich began to flap its wings.  At the right moment the Mantis deftly snatched some fire and fled. 

The Mantis gave his prize to humans, while the unfortunate Ostrich never flew again for fear of losing the small amount of fire left. 

...and humans used this gift.

The Oryx and the Ostrich

The Oryx was a dowdy drab animal, grey in color and without horns.  It lived alongside the Ostrich which was a magnificent beast, having a striking black and white coat, a long neck and a pair of beautiful slender horns.

The Oryx was very jealous and challenged the Ostrich to a race.  "I can run much faster than you" said the Oryx, "but I will give you a fair chance by carrying your heavy horns for you.  Not that it makes any difference.  I will still beat you."

Unable to resist this arrogant challenge from the feeble Oryx, the Ostrich readily agreed.  "This will be an easy victory," he thought.  He gave the Oryx his heavy horns and black and white coat.

Sprinting ahead, the Oryx took an early lead in the race.  He chose all the rock and stony places to run over and with his hard hooves he sailed across this rough terrain.  Behind him the Ostrich was limping badly.  His soft feet were not accustomed to such a terrible pounding on this hard and uneven surface.

Furious, the Ostrich eventually stopped, unable to run any more on the rocky ground.  In frustration, he started throwing stones at the Oryx who kept on running until he reached the other side of the hard terrain.  When the Ostrich looked down for more stones to throw, the Oryx laughed and ran away with the horns and magnificent cloak of black and white.  For a long time they did not meet.  The Oryx was proud of his new cloakand horns and learned to fight well with them.

In the meantime the Ostrich was beginning to feel the benefits of not having to carry those heavy horns.  However, when they did meet again, the Ostrich, out of pride, fought to regain his stolen possessions, but found the Oryx far too skillful.

Dejected, the Ostrich had to admit defeat, while being secretly relieved that he did not have to carry the heavy burden again.  "Maybe we should be friends and the Oryx can protect me with those horns of mine" he thought.

The Oryx and Ostrich are often found together for this very reason.

The Lioness and the Ostrich

IT is said, once a lioness roared, and the ostrich also roared.  The lioness went toward the place where the ostrich was.  They met.  The lioness said to the ostrich, "Please roar."  The ostrich roared.  Then the lioness roared.  The voices were equal.  The lioness said to the ostrich, "You are my match."

Then the lioness said to the ostrich, "Let us hunt game together."  They saw eland and made toward it. The lioness caught only one; the ostrich killed a great many by striking them with the claw which was on his leg, but the lioness killed only one.  When they had met after the hunting they went to the game, and the lioness saw that the ostrich had killed a great deal.
Now, the lioness also had young cubs.  They went to the shade to rest themselves.  The lioness said to the ostrich, "Get up and rip open; let us eat."  Said the ostrich, "Go and rip open; I shall eat the blood."  The lioness stood up and ripped open, and ate with the cubs.  And when she had eaten, the ostrich got up and ate the blood.  They went to sleep.

The cubs played about.  While they were playing, they went to the ostrich, who was asleep.  When he went to sleep he also opened his mouth.  The young lions saw that the ostrich had no teeth.  They went to their mother and said, "This fellow, who says he is your equal, has no teeth; he is insulting you."  Then the lioness went to wake the ostrich, and said, "Get up, let us fight"; and they fought.  The ostrich said, "Go to that side of the anthill, and I will go to this side of it."  The ostrich struck the anthill, and sent it toward the lioness.  But the second time he struck the lioness in a vulnerable spot, near the liver, and killed her.