25 Strange Ostrich Facts

1. People once believed ostrich "buried their heads in the sand" to conceal themselves. While they are not very brainy, such ridiculous behavior would have little survival value. However, The Ostrich Trivia Page reports that there may have been a grain of truth to the tale. "When danger threatens, chicks will stretch out flat with necks extended and 'play' opossum, hence the myth".
2. It doesn't have a wishbone like that found in most birds. Ostrich are considered primitive in that the breastbone is smooth and flat, lacking the keel characteristically found on the breastbone of higher birds.
3. It's not originally from Africa. Paleontologists have evidence that it originated on the Asian steppes in the Eocene Epoch (40 to 50 million years ago), ranging through Asia, Europe and Africa. Today its range in the wild is limited to Africa.
4. It is mentioned in the Bible. From the earliest times, it has attracted interest and attention. Many Greek and Latin writers also commented on it.
5. Cleopatra may have ridden one. According to the Ostrich-Emu InfoNet Home Page, "Ancient Egyptians trained ostriches to pull carts. Over 2,000 years ago, the Egyptian queen Arsinoe rode an ostrich with a saddle. Teams of ostriches were sometimes used in Rome to pull the chariots in the races".
6. An Ostrich chick is 'born' cold-blooded. The Texas A&M's ostrich page says, "Chicks are unable to thermoregulate at hatch and must have an external source of heat. At hatch, supplemental heat should also be 90 to 95 degrees F (32 - 35 degrees C)." The need for supplemental heat diminishes as the chicks grows.
7. An ostrich can easily kill a man or a horse. Known as fierce fighters (and often volatile even when domesticated), their sidewise or straight-forward kicks with powerful legs and hard feet can be lethal.
8. To calm an ostrich, put a sock on it. If they can kick, bite and peck, one might wonder how cranky ostriches are restrained, e.g., for medical care. Texas A&M notes, "darkness or limited light seems to quiet birds and make them easier to handle. Even pastured ratities (ostrich and other flightless birds) may be approached safely at night with a flashlight." For daylight handling, "Hoods are sometimes used to restrain adult ostriches. An opaque, soft stocking is slipped over the eyes and ears and down the neck to obstruct the ostrich's sight and hearing." Handlers know that they seldom kick backward, so it's safer to approach from behind.
9. Tales of its bizarre eating habits are not greatly exaggerated. Chief foods are plants, seeds, fruits, insects, reptiles, mammals; it consumes almost anything it can seize and swallow, including a wide range of seemingly non-nutritious or harmful substances. Chicks are especially prone to swallow whatever they see, whch can lead to impaction or injury. Ranch birds are usually fed pelleted ration, supplemented by grass, alfalfa hay, etc.
10. It can outrun a cheetah. Cheetahs can attain a 70 mph (113 kph) speed in a dash, but soon tire. An ostrich can run faster than 40 mph (64 kph) and sustain a velocity no other terrestrial animal can match. Nevertheless, they're relatively easy to capture by men on horseback, because ostrich tend to run in circles and eventually tire when pursurers chase them in relays.
11. Ostrich races were popular in the early years of the century. Racetrack picture show jockeys mounted on their festhered steeds, or racing them hitched to sulkies or buggies. On the farms, visitors often had their pictures made on ostrich back or in buggies, carts or wagons drawn by the birds.
12. Ostrich greeting cards are available from artist S.M. Park. The two Christmas designs feature 3-color art on white linen card stock with vellum envelopes, eight to a box. For information, contact NTC/Park Art, 9393 SE Foster Road, Suite 103, Portland OR 97266. For more details, check Crockers Ostrich Page.
13. A male ostrich usually has several "wives". The polygamous male usually takes 3 to 5 cohorts, all of which deposit their eggs in the same nest containing 30 or more. Both sexes incubate and guard the eggs. (Ranch eggs are electrically heated, often with computer controlled incubators that rotate the eggs in sterile lab conditions.)
14. A pair or trio of ostrich can be raised in as little as 1/2 acre (0.20 hectare). Pens for groups average 1/4 to 1/2 acre each, with very little shelter needed for adult birds. But given their large size, lethal abilities and voracious eating habits, we don't recommend them as apartment pets.
15. Eggnog from one egg would serve fifty people. Ostrich eggs weigh about 3 pounds (1000 to 1500 grams) and hold about 3 pints (half a liter). Equal in quantity to 20 hens eggs, it would take about 40 minutes to hard-boil an ostrich egg.
16. Ostrich feathers helped in making your car and your computer. According to the Amerintco home page, besides being used by the fashion industries, ostrich feathers recently have found their way "into high-tech applications, including major car mannufacturers that use feather rollers to remove static dust before painting automobiles in the assembly lines. There are also applications in the computer industry, as well as feather dusters being manufactured for commercial and domestic uses."
17. One ostrich = 3 pairs of cowboy boots. The Texas Agricultural Extension Service at Texas A&M University reports that "Ostrich leather is a popular product for making boots, clothing and upholstery. An adult ostrich will produce 14 square feet (1.30 sq. meters) of hide. One hide can make three pairs of boots. In Texas, several custom leather goods companies and one large boot manufacturer are buying ostrich leather produced in the U.S.".
18. It can catch a cold, but probably not yours. Veterinarians treat them for various bird ailments, though few of their diseases are like "parrot fever" in being contagious to mammals.
19. It can "roar like a lion or low like an ox," according to some listeners. One report says "the voice of the male bird is loud, deep and gutteral or howling in quality, always mournful in character." The Oklahoma State Ostrich Book adds, "The mating behavior of the male is quite elaborate with the male sitting on his hocks, moving his wings up and down while throwing his head from side to side. During this time, the mate will usually make a thumping sound and will inflate his neck area and create a loud booming noise."
20. It can be a red neck, a blue neck or a black. There are four (or five) sub-species in various parts of Africa. Male ostrich of East Africa have pink or red skin and are often referred to as "red necks," while the more southern ostrich has blue skin and is referred to hormone testosterone. The redneck ostrich is from east Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), while the blueneck belongs to one of three sub-species native to north, west or south Africa.
21. Bigger isn't always better. Though an ostrich can grow to 9 ft. tall (2.74 m) and 450 pounds (204 kg), "a captive cross-bred bird was developed that was smaller and more easily handled," says the Okla. Ostrich Book. "This bird is often referred to as the South African 'black' ostrich, a term coined by U.S. ostrich farmers."
22. Ostrich rustling has been a problem that is now abating. With proven breeding pairs selling for tens of thousands of dollars, owners now equip their stock with subdermal microchips for identification and record keeping. The chip is usually inserted at hatch, just behind the head. Some older birds have a second chip inserted into the tail area, so that they can be "read" while they're busy eating or drinking.
23. Just like wild songbirds, domesticated ostriches' legs are banded to help identify individuals at a distance. The numbered bands come in various colors, and are placed around the ankle or above the hock.
24. Ostrich hens are good magazine cover girls. Actually, the colorful ostrich "roosters" are seen more often on a number of magazines featuring the big birds, including The Ratite Journal, The (Emu) Ostrich (Rhea) News, American Ostrich - Official Publication of the American Ostrich Association, California Ostrich, Canadian Ostrich Magazine, Ratite Market Place, Exotic News, Rocky Mountain Livestock Journal, and Boomtown News. For addresses, check Michael Kapala's list at the Ostrich-Emu InfoNet Home Page.
25. Ostrich meat is served in gourmet restaurants. The following sources can lead you to eateries that serve "the other red meat." Promoters claim that taste-tests show the low-fat meat, when properly prepared, to be as tasty as beef or other prepared meats. Here's a recipe for French-South African Soup from Sandra Hildreth's "Cooking Ostrich With Confidence." You can get more recipes, and find how to order her U.S. $35 book and others, at Crocker's Ostrich Page.