The Ostrich

The Ostrich is a large flightless bird native to Africa (and formerly the Middle East). It is distinguished by its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at speeds of about 65 km/h (40 mph), the top land speed of any bird, they can also live up to 75 years. The Ostrich is the largest living species of bird and lays the largest egg of any bird species. The diet of the Ostrich mainly consists of seeds and other plant parts, though it eats insects. It also has no teeth so it swallows stones to help with digestion, an average male would have about 1kg of stones in his stomach at one time. It lives in groups which contain between five and 50 birds. When threatened, the Ostrich will either hide itself by lying flat against the ground, or will run away. If trapped, it can cause injury and death with a kick from its powerful legs, but it is only possible for it to kick forward. The wings are not used for flights as an ostrich can weigh up to 130kg, but are used in mating displays, territorial males fight for a harem of two to seven females. When being chased by a predator, Ostriches have been known to reach speeds over 65 km per hour and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h, which makes the ostrich the world’s fastest two-legged animal.

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