As birds go, the ostrich is an exception. For starters it does not fly; it has a rumpled, ‘un-streamlined’ body with untidy, soft feathers; and two toes on each leg instead of the usual four. It reaches heights of up to 3 metres and weighs around 145 kgs making it the world’s largest bird.
It is native to the continent of Africa and is typically found in Africa’s savannas, woodlands and plains. The ostrich is an omnivore and eats plants as well as small insects when available. These huge birds have three stomachs. Since they do not have teeth, they swallow pebbles and stones to help digest their food. These stones are stored in one of their specialized stomachs called the ventriculus where the food gets broken down to make it easier to digest. So, the average ostrich rattles around with a belly full of stones!
That’s not all. An ostrich egg is the biggest egg in the world weighing about 1.5 kg (that’s 23 times the size of chicken eggs). It has the largest eyes of any land animal. It is also called the ‘camel bird’ because, like a camel, it has a long neck, prominent eyes, sweeping eyelashes and a jolting walk. Additionally, the ostrich can tolerate high temperatures and go without water for long periods of time.
Picture Credit : Google
