Watch an adult female Ostrich scan the surrounds for likely predator threats and food opportunities

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Ostriches have several natural predators, including cheetahs, lions, leopards, hunting dogs and spotted hyenas.
The ostrich is the largest and heaviest living bird. Females weigh 198 to 242 pounds and range in height from 5.7 to 6.2 feet
An ostrich has a long neck, prominent eyes and sweeping eyelashes. Ostriches have the largest eye of any land animal. An ostrich’s eye is nearly 2 inches across. Larger eyes are beneficial in low-light conditions, such as during dawn and dusk.
There is a nictitating membrane inside, moving like a windscreen wiper, to keep the eye clean and moist.
With their acute eyesight and hearing, common ostriches can sense predators such as lions from far away. Their long neck and excellent vision help them see great distances, allowing them to keep an eye out for predators.
Males are typically larger than females, weighing 220 to 287 pounds and measuring 6.9 to 9 feet in height.
Given their weight, they are flightless and cannot fly into the sky.
Instead, ostriches are great runners and are able to reach speeds of up to 43 miles per hour. One stride can be 10 to 16 feet long. They have long, strong legs with two clawed toes, allowing them to reach these high speeds.
Ostriches live in groups, which helps with defense. They are typically found in flocks of about 10 birds or just a male and female pair but sometimes gather in large flocks of 100 or more. These groups have a pecking order with a dominant male, a dominant female called the “main hen” and several other females. The dominant male establishes and defends their territory. Lone males may also come and go during the breeding season.
Ostriches are large flightless birds. Two living species are recognised, the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa.
They are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying 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. They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. South Africa produces about 70% of global ostrich products, with the industry largely centered around the town of Oudtshoorn. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs and meat have been used by humans for millennia. Ostrich oil is another product that is made using ostrich fat.
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.
The common ostrich was historically 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. R_51907d

Taken in: Australia / New South Wales / Mosman (show map)

Taken on: October 26, 2024

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Sets appears in: • spring • October more » • 2024 • canon R6 • canon RF100-500L • Ostrich • Taronga zoo • Video on Flickr and Youtube « less

Groups appears in: • Canon R6 • Canon RF 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1L IS USM (No 30/60 Limit)

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