Overview
A towering silhouette striding across the horizon can only be an ostrich. The common ostrich is the world’s largest living bird and a familiar sight across Tanzania’s open plains, dry savannahs and semi-arid landscapes.
Although flightless, ostriches are superbly adapted for life on the ground. Their long, powerful legs allow them to cover great distances and escape danger at remarkable speed, while their height gives them an excellent view across open country.
Ostriches are flexible feeders, eating seeds, grasses, leaves, flowers and fruit as well as insects, lizards and other small animals. They may be seen alone, in pairs or in loose groups, sometimes associating with grazing mammals whose alert behaviour provides additional warning of predators.
Behaviour & How to Identify
Look for an enormous, long-legged bird with a small head, long bare neck and broad, rounded body. Adult males have mainly black plumage with striking white wing and tail feathers, while females and younger birds are greyish brown.
Their wings cannot support flight, but they remain useful. Ostriches spread them for balance while turning at speed, use them in courtship displays and hold them away from the body to help regulate temperature.
During breeding, a dominant male may mate with several females. One principal female usually shares incubation duties with him, while additional females may lay eggs in the same communal nest. The male’s dark plumage camouflages him at night, while the female’s earth-toned feathers provide better concealment during daylight.
Interesting facts
Ostriches are the fastest birds on foot. They can reach around 70 km/h for short periods and maintain impressive speeds over longer distances.
Their eggs are the largest of any living bird. One ostrich egg commonly weighs around 1.4 kg and contains roughly the same volume as about two dozen chicken eggs.
Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. The myth may come from their habit of lowering the head towards the ground while tending eggs or trying to remain inconspicuous.