This article is about the animal. For other uses, see Ostrich (disambiguation).
Ostrich
Temporal range: Miocene–Holocene, 23–0 Ma
PreꞒ
Ꞓ
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
Montage of two living species, from left to right: common ostrich and Somali ostrich
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Infraclass:
Palaeognathae
Order:
Struthioniformes
Family:
Struthionidae
Genus:
Struthio Linnaeus, 1758[1]
Type species
Struthio camelus
Linnaeus, 1758
Species
†S. anderssoni East Asian ostrich
?†S. barbarus
?†S. chersonensis Short-toed ostrich
?†S. kakesiensis
?†S. karingarabensis
†S. asiaticus Asian ostrich
†S. brachydactylus
†S. coppensi
†S. oldawayi
†S. orlovi
†S. wimani
S. molybdophanes Somali ostrich
S. camelus Common ostrich
†S. daberasensis
Synonyms
†Autruchon Temminick 1840 fide Gray, 1841 (nomen nudum)
†Struthiolithus Brandt 1873
†Megaloscelornis Lydekker 1879
†Palaeostruthio Burchak-Abramovich 1953
Ostriches are large flightless birds. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal.[3] With the ability to run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph),[4] they are the fastest birds on land. They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs have been used by humans for millennia.
Ostriches are of the genus Struthio in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, cassowaries, kiwis and the extinct elephant birds and moas. There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa.[5] The common ostrich was historically native to the Arabian Peninsula, and ostriches were present across Asia as far east as China and Mongolia during the Late Pleistocene and possibly into the Holocene.
Mating dance of the Ostrich.
^Gray, George Robert (1855). Catalogue of the Genera and Subgenera of Birds contained in the British Museum. London, UK: Taylor and Francis. p. 109.
^BirdLife International (2018). "Struthio camelus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T45020636A132189458. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T45020636A132189458.en. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
^Del Hoyo, Josep, et al. Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 1. No. 8. Barcelona: Lynx edicions, 1992.
^Doherty, James G. (March 1974). "Speed of animals". Natural History.
Ostriches are large flightless birds. They are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145...
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain large areas of Africa. It is one of two extant...
The Arabian ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus), Syrian ostrich, or Middle Eastern ostrich is an extinct subspecies of the ostrich that lived on the Arabian...
The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), also known as the blue-necked ostrich, is a large flightless bird native to the Horn of Africa. It is one...
Ostrich policy is a metaphoric expression referring to the tendency to ignore obvious matters and pretend they do not exist; the expression derives from...
ostrich (Struthio camelus australis), also known as the black-necked ostrich, Cape ostrich or southern ostrich is a subspecies of the common ostrich endemic...
The ostrich effect, also known as the ostrich problem, was originally coined by Galai & Sade (2003). The name comes from the common (but false) legend...
have been named HMS Ostrich, after the bird: HMS Ostrich (1777) was a 14-gun sloop purchased in 1777 and sold in 1782. HMS Ostrich (1900) was a Gipsy-class...
Ostrich leather is the result of tanning skins taken from African ostriches farmed for their feathers, skin and meat. The leather is distinctive for its...
Outeniqua Mountains to the south. Dubbed the "ostrich capital of the world", Oudtshoorn is known for its ostrich-feather booms, during 1865–1870 and 1900–1914...
The Masai ostrich (Struthio camelus massaicus), also known as the East African ostrich is a red-necked subspecies variety of the common ostrich and is endemic...
North African ostrich, red-necked ostrich, or Barbary ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus) is the nominate subspecies of the common ostrich from West and...
The egg of the ostrich (genus Struthio) is the largest of any living bird (being exceeded in size by those of the extinct elephant bird genus Aepyornis)...
the ostrich algorithm is a strategy of ignoring potential problems on the basis that they may be exceedingly rare. It is named after the ostrich effect...
genus of ferns with one species: Matteuccia struthiopteris (common names ostrich fern, fiddlehead fern, or shuttlecock fern). The species epithet struthiopteris...
The Asian or Asiatic ostrich (Struthio asiaticus), is an extinct species of ostrich that lived during the Neogene period on the Indian subcontinent. The...
by mass is the common ostrich (Struthio camelus), closely followed by the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes). A male ostrich can reach a height of...
The ostrich guitar or ostrich tuning is a type of trivial tuning. It assigns one note to all strings, e.g. E-E-e-e-e'-e' or D-D-D-D-d'-d'. The term "ostrich...
Ostrich stew is a stew prepared using ostrich meat as a primary ingredient. It is a part of South African cuisine, and is served in many places and restaurants...
The ostrich instruction is a jury instruction that the requirement of knowledge to establish a guilty mind (mens rea), is satisfied by deliberate ignorance...
modern ostrich and one of the largest known birds. Although P. dmanisensis is known as the giant ostrich, its relationship to the extant ostriches of the...
The Ostrich Egg Globe is a hollow terrestrial globe made from the conjoined lower halves of two ostrich eggs. The map carved on the globe is an extremely...
their extinct relatives. The two extant species of ostrich are the common ostrich and Somali ostrich, both in the genus Struthio, which also contains several...
are turned in, resulting in the tribe being known as the "two-toed" or "ostrich-footed" tribe. This is an autosomal dominant condition resulting from a...
ostrich farming in Australia. After that training, the Limketkais established their ostrich farming business and named it as the Philippine Ostrich and...
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