Fun Ostrich Facts For Kids

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a bird species that might not sound like a completely new species to you. We all must have read about this bird at least once in our lives. Ostrich is the world’s largest flightless bird found in the continent of Africa. Today, we will learn about some exciting Ostrich facts, which will help us know more about this beautiful flightless bird. Also, these birds are thriving in nature, and much of the restrictions are made to prohibit hunting of such birds.

The Ostrich lifespan ranges between 40-45 years, depending on their habitat and plants they eat. Ostrich eggs are amongst the largest bird eggs in the world and can weigh up to 3 lb. Ostriches live mainly on plants and plant products but sometimes are known to prey on small insects and lizards as well. Let’s learn about this Ostrich and see how they are surviving in nature. After reading these interesting Ostrich facts including Ostrich egg facts, you may also look at dodo facts and toco toucan facts.

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What type of animal is an Ostrich?

Ostriches (Struthio camelus) are large flightless birds endemic to Africa. As these birds are large in size and broad, they can run at an incredible pace. This largest bird is quite mighty and can run at 70 mph and can escape its predator.

What class of animal does an Ostrich belong to?

The Ostrich (Struthio camelus) belongs to the Aves class of animals. It is the world's largest bird that can not fly.

How many Ostriches are there in the world?

There are 1,50,000 ostriches left in the world. The ostrich population has decreased heavily due to hunting and habitat loss. As a result, the Somali Ostrich is now categorized as vulnerable.

Where does an Ostrich live?

The different species of Ostriches reside in the different semi-arid regions of Africa. The North African Ostrich is found in Northern regions of Africa. The other species like Somali and Masai Ostrich reside in  eastern parts of Africa. One more species known as the South African Ostrich is found in southwestern parts of the African continent.

What is an Ostrich's habitat?

Ostriches make their habitats in grassy plains, savannas, and semi-arid areas of the African continent. Ostriches prefer to live in open areas because of their inability to fly, as open areas allow these birds to easily run away from predators and other threats. In the open areas, they can easily spot anything dangerous, and their strong legs make it easy for them to outrun their predators.

Who do Ostriches live with?

Ostriches reside in small groups called herds or flocks. The herd consists of 10-12 Ostriches. The group is led by the alpha male. In order to be the head of the group, the males compete with each other, and the dominant male leads the group. The herd also has one dominant female Ostrich.

How long does an Ostrich live?

The Ostrich life span ranges between 40-45 years, depending on their habitat.

How do they reproduce?

In order to reproduce, male Ostriches compete with other males in the group. They attract the female by shaking the feathers of their wings and tail. The dominant male gets to be the head of the group and the females. In the group, there is also one dominant female who is the head of the female Ostriches. The female Ostrich leader mates with the dominant male-only. However, the male leader can mate with more than one female of his choice. Once the mating is done, the males then dig a large not so deep hole in the ground, and all the females lay their Ostrich egg in this hole only. The dominant female gets to lay the eggs in the center of the hole, and also have a communal nest. The incubation period of the eggs is 42 days long. The responsibility of defending and teaching them and feeding is on the males, the females help the males in rearing the chicks though.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Ostrich is the least concern. However, now the Ostrich population is declining heavily due to hunting and habitat destruction. The Somali Ostrich is listed as vulnerable to extinction.

What do Ostriches look like?

Ostriches are unique flightless birds that long thin legs and a huge body with black feathers and small wings. Ostriches have a long thin neck and a small face with a strong beak. Their face looks a lot smaller than their entire body.

The body of an Ostrich is covered with black and white feathers. The feathers of male Ostriches are mostly black accompanied with some white feathers at its tail. Unlike males, the female counterparts have feathers of grey color. Ostriches have the largest eyes with a diameter of 2 in. They also have strong legs and have only two toes in each foot, which allows them to run at a great speed.

How cute are they?

Ostriches are fascinating creatures with a unique appearance. For an Ostrich, cute might not be an appropriate adjective because Ostriches are gorgeous large birds. So, they are more fascinating than cute.

How do they communicate?

In order to communicate, Ostriches can growl, whistle and boom. Ostriches are usually silent birds, so there is not very much to be learned about their communication patterns. During the breeding season, the vocal activities of the Ostriches get increased as males try to flatter the females.

How big is an Ostrich?

The Ostrich is titled as the largest flightless bird on this planet. Ostriches can grow up to 2.8 m in height, which makes them the largest amongst all flightless bird species.

How fast can an Ostrich fly?

The Ostrich is a flightless bird which means that it can not fly at all. They have small wings, and their body is quite heavy, so it is impossible for them to fly. But Ostriches are really fast runners who can run at a speed of 40 miles per hour and can cover up to 5 m in a single stride.

Ostriches have strong legs, which help them run with such an impressive speed that their legs are so strong that their kicks can easily kill a human and even a lion.

How much does an Ostrich weigh?

The average weight of an Ostrich is 138-308 lb.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male Ostrich will be called a cock, and a female Ostrich will be called a hen.

What would you call a baby Ostrich?

A baby Ostrich will be called a chick.

What do they eat?

Ostriches are omnivores and in the wild they can eat seeds, plants and roots along with some small insects and small lizards.

Are they dangerous?

Ostriches are dangerous. These birds have well known to possess aggressive behavior. They have strong legs, which implies that their kick can easily kill a human and a lion. But mostly if they are threatened, instead of attacking first they will first try to run away.

Would they make a good pet?

If you like to have such exotic pets then, of course you can have it as a pet. But while doing so, one thing that needs to be kept in mind is that Ostriches are wild birds with a very aggressive nature. They can grow up to 8 feet and are very strong birds that can easily hurt a human. So, if you think you can handle this bird easily then yes you can have it as a pet, but you can't expect it to be a good pet as they are wild creatures.

Did you know...

If Ostriches sense any sort of danger then they can temporarily abandon their eggs and go to some other place.

The Ostrich's strength and survival

Ostriches are the largest flightless birds, and with big size comes big power. Ostriches are really fast runners which can run at a speed of 40 miles per hour.

Ostriches have strong legs, which help them to run at an impressive speed, and their legs are so strong that their kicks can easily kill a human and even a lion.

Apart from these survival skills, Ostriches can easily tolerate warm temperatures and can survive without water for almost two weeks.

Interesting facts about Ostrich eggs

As a child, we all must have heard that Ostriches bury their heads in the sand. In reality, their face is not buried in the sand. Still, it looks buried because Ostriches have a habit of lying low in the ground whenever they detect any threat, and when they do so, their head appears to be buried, but it's not actually buried.

In some parts of the African continent, people organize Ostrich races. They sit on the back of the Ostriches and race with each other.

The largest flightless bird has three stomachs.

Ostriches have the largest eyes with a diameter of 2 inches.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including Stork, or Secretary Bird.

You can even occupy yourself at home by drawing one on our Ostrich coloring pages.