Today, there are around 8,000 birds species; one of them being the ostrich. Out of every species, the ostrich is the largest. A male ostrich can grow up to eight feet tall and weigh 140 to 230 pounds. The heaviest ostrich is known to be around 345 pounds. But, their huge bodies reduce the flying factor, so ostriches do not fly. Yet, they can run up to 70 miles per hour. Think about it, if these birds are so large then how big are their eggs? Well… their eggs are known to be as big as 1.5 kg.

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If a “hen” is sitting on her nest of eggs she will push her head along the ground to blend in to try to protect her babies from predators. Males and females are different colors; the male is jet black and white as paper. But on the other hand the female is gray and brown.

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These creature are very well adapters. They can adapt to EXTREME weather. Meaning hot or cold. If it gets to hot for an ostrich they will flap their small wings up and down to create a light breeze. To identify an ostrich all that you have to look for is, a LARGE bird with small wings, pinkish legs, head, and toes. Also look for black, white, gray, and brown feathers.

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The best place to look is in southern Africa; some fossils have been found in North America and Europe also. In captivity ostriches can live to be 40 years old. But in the wild nobody knows. What people do know is their population is shrinking.  Because they are used for food, fans, clothing, and objects for decorating and house cleaning. These items run at about 20 to100 dollars; people make a lot of money off of ostriches so they don't care how many ostriches they kill! An ostrich eats many different things including seeds, bushes, invertebrates, and small vertebrates. They can eat these things because they have a very powerful beak. Because the ostrich can run up to 70 miles per hour it catches most of its food by running.

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While researching my ostrich I learned a lot. Like, if you cook an ostrich egg for two hours it would equal 24 chicken eggs. Also an ostrich can out run a lion or leopards. I also found that it's legs are so strong that a single kick to a predator could kill it. And that a female ostrich can tell which eggs are hers.

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Author: Natasha H

Published: 02/2007

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Bibliography Bertram, R.C.B the Ostrich Nesting System.

New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005 Grzime, H.C Grzime’s Animal Life Encyclopedia Vol. 7. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co., 2000 Perrins, C.M The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds: The Definitive Reference to Birds of the World