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OSTRICH,
common name for a large, flightless bird, Struthio
camelus, the only member of the family Struthionidae and
the order Struthioniformes. It is now found only in Africa, but
was formerly in the Middle East, where it is probably extinct. Ostriches
are the largest and strongest of living birds, attaining a height
from crown to foot of about 2.4 m (about 8 ft) and a weight of up
to 136 kg (300 lb). They have long necks and small heads, with large
eyes and short, broad beaks. They spread their small wings when
running and have long, powerful legs that are used for defense.
The feet have only two toes. Male ostriches are black, with white
wings and tail. The white feathers of the male, which are large
and soft, are the ostrich plumes of commercial value. The female
is a dull grayish brown.
Ostriches are rapid runners and can attain about 65 km/hr
(about 40 mph). The males are polygamous and travel about in hot,
sandy areas with three or four females, or in groups of four or
five males accompanied by mates and young. The females lay their
yellowish-white eggs together in a single large depression in the sand.
The eggs weigh about 1.4 kg (about 3 lb) each and have a volume
of about 1.4 liters (about 3 pt). The male sits on them at night,
and the female incubates them by day.
In the last half of the 19th century ostrich farming, or the
breeding of domesticated ostriches for their plumes, was carried
on extensively in South Africa, Algeria, Australia, France, and
the U.S. Ostrich plumes were used in hatmaking and dressmaking.
Farming declined as the demand for ostrich plumes became almost negligible;
however, the introduction of ostrich hide as a luxury leather has
renewed interest in ostrich farming. The so-called American ostrich
is actually a RHEA.