OSTRICH  
Struthionidae

The largest living bird; flightless, with long, powerful legs; only two toes on each foot,
the largest having a nail. Long neck and relatively small head, covered with short,
tufty down. Runs at more than 40 m.p.h., with wings held free.

OSTRICH Struthio cumelus

Identification: 213-244 cm. Adult male black and white. Female pale brown, with wing
feathers a dirty white. Subadult has greyish brown feathers with a lighter edging.
Young bird has a fawn head and neck with longitudinal black streaks;
rest of body covered with hedgehog-like black and white bristles.

Polygamous; usually found in small scattered flocks. Half-grown chicks gather in
flocks of up to 100 individuals, and are cared for by a few old birds.
Strictly vegetarian. As a rule males incubate at night and females by day.

Voice: Male utters a hollow booming note, easily mistaken at a distance
for the roar of a lion, but without the characteristic grunting with which a
lion concludes its roar.

Habitat: Open thornveld and semi-desert.

Distribution: Mostly in the dry west and locally over the rest of
Southern Africa, with the exception of the eastern coastal strip.