User:Arosa569/Ostrich

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Ostriches are large flightless birds. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, and lay the largest eggs of any living land animal. With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), they are the fastest birds on land. Ostriches can live 30-40 years in the wild or up to 70 in captivity. They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs have been used by humans for millennia.

Ostriches are of the genus Struthio in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, cassowaries, kiwis and the extinct elephant birds and moas. There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. The common ostrich used to be native to the Arabian Peninsula, and ostriches were present across Asia as far east as China and Mongolia during the Late Pleistocene and possibly into the Holocene.

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Appearance:

'''Ostrich's have loose, soft feathers that are unique to ostriches, giving them a "shaggy" look. Adult Males have black feathers on the body with white feathers on their tail and end of their wings. Immature males and adult females have brownish-gray feathers. Although these animals have wings, they are flightless birds, and their wings are mainly used for balance and control. They also have long, reddish-blue necks with large brown eyes framed by long, prominent eyelashes. They have a small head with a wide, yet short bill typically reddish in color. Ostrich eyes are one of the largest eyes for land animals. The eyes are almost 2 inches in diameter allowing them to see long distances to look out for predators. Ostrich's have long, strong, bare legs are are two toed with sharp claws allowing them to reach high speeds and be very dangerous. One kick from an ostrich can kill a human or other predators such as a lion. The long, powerful legs is what can allow these birds to travel 10-16 feet in a single stride. Ostriches are typically 7-9 feet tall and weight about 220-350 pounds.'''

Breeding and Herds:

'''Herds typically consist of less than a dozen birds. in the wild they can be found in groups that could consist of a single male and a female pair or in a group of about 10 birds. There have been groups found of 100 or more with a pecking order of an alpha male and a main hen with many other females. In order for the male to mate he must do a mating dance. The male ostrich will bow to the ground and shake his wing on one side then the other side while moving his tail up and down showing off his black feathers and white plumage. After this, he then rises and continues to alternate moving his wings as he stomps toward the female to impress her. If the female approves, she will then mate with him. Within a herd, the alpha male mates with the dominant hen and typically will also mate with other hens. Wandering males might also mate with lesser hens and then when the eggs are laid they are given to the dominant hen with her eggs in the central part of the nest for the highest chance of hatching. The nest is a shallow depression in the ground that is dug up by the male. Each female can lay 7-10 eggs at a time. Ostrich eggs are the largest eggs weighing about 3 pounds or as much as two dozen chicken eggs. The dominant hen takes turns with the male incubating the eggs and then care for the chicks. Ostrich eggs incubation period is 42-46 days and the chicks hatch around the size of a regular chicken but grow about 1 foot a month. Although they start showing their adult plumage at four months and are about the size of their parents at 6 months old they are not sexually mature until about three to four years old which is when males get their black feathers.'''