The African ostrich belongs to the order Struthioniformes and the family Struthionidae. It is the largest bird in the world. An adult bird can reach a height of 2.5 m, and a male ostrich can weigh up to 150 kg. It lives in the desert grasslands and savanna regions of Africa. Because its feathers, skin and meat all have high economic value, and because of its advantages such as fast growth, strong reproductive capacity, ease of raising and strong disease resistance, it has been widely domesticated in many countries. So, what are the <strong>living habits of the African ostrich</strong>?</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"></p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;"><strong>Living habits of the African ostrich</strong></p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;"><span style="color:#FF0000"><strong>1. Behavior</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">Because the African ostrich has well-developed air sacs and a good circulatory system to regulate body temperature, it can adapt to arid climates and has exceptional heat tolerance. Even when the temperature reaches as high as 56°C, it can still search for food under the scorching sun, and it can also go several months without drinking water.</p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">Their most active periods are still early morning and dusk. Their calls are loud and deep, like the roar of a lion. They are alert and suspicious by nature, and both their hearing and vision are very keen. They like to gather in groups, usually 10-15 birds, and when there are chicks and young birds the number can reach 40-50. They lead a wandering life as food supplies wax and wane, and they also like to mix with herbivorous animals such as zebras, antelopes, giraffes and wildebeest while foraging, so that they can eat the insects, small rodents and reptiles stirred up by large animals such as zebras.</p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">The African ostrich has a tall body, a long neck and sharp eyesight, and when the group is foraging, the interval at which each bird raises its head is irregular, rising and falling one after another, so there are always some individuals looking up and watching. In this way, they can promptly discover enemies and notify the other animals to dodge quickly.</p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">They run very fast in the desert. Each stride can reach 3.5 m, their sustained running speed is 50 km per hour, they can run for more than 5 minutes, their sprint speed is more than 70 km per hour, and they can also clear obstacles more than 5 m high. They like to drink water and bathe.</p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;"><span style="color:#FF0000"><strong>2. Food</strong></span></p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">Their diet is very omnivorous, but it is mainly based on plant stems, leaves and fruits, especially flowering shrubs, parasitic creeping plants, ground-trailing cucurbit plants and wild figs. They also eat insects, mollusks, small reptiles, birds and mammals, and at the same time swallow some sand grains to help digestion. Interestingly, nails, coins, bottle caps, string and even diamonds and other miscellaneous items can also be found in their stomach and intestines.</p>
<p style="text-indent:2em;">The African ostrich has a high conversion rate, and artificial breeding can bring good economic value. Friends who want to invest in the breeding industry can consider it.</p>
The African ostrich belongs to the order Struthioniformes, family Struthionidae, and is the largest bird in the world. Adults can reach a height of 2.5 m, and a male ostrich can weigh up to 150 kg. It lives in the desert grasslands and savanna regions of Africa. Because its feathers, hide and meat are all of high economic value, and because it has advantages such as rapid growth, strong reproductive capacity, ease of rearing and strong disease resistance, it has been widely domesticated in many countries. So, what are the living habits of the African ostrich?
Living habits of the African ostrich
1. Behaviour
Because the African ostrich has well-developed air sacs and a good circulatory system for regulating body temperature, it can adapt to arid climates and has exceptional heat tolerance. Even when the temperature reaches as high as 56°C, it can still search for food under the scorching sun, and it can also go several months without drinking water.
Their most active periods are still early morning and dusk. Their calls are loud and deep, like the roar of a lion. They are alert and suspicious by nature, and both hearing and sight are very keen. They like to gather in groups, usually 10-15 birds, and when chicks and young birds are present the group can reach 40-50 birds. They lead a wandering life as food abundance rises and falls, and they also like to mix with herbivorous mammals such as zebras, antelopes, giraffes and wildebeest while foraging, so that they can eat the insects, small rodents and reptiles flushed out by large mammals such as zebras.
The African ostrich has a tall body, a long neck and sharp eyesight, and when the group is foraging, the interval at which each bird raises its head is irregular, rising and falling one after another, so there are always some individuals looking up and watching. In this way they can promptly detect enemies and alert the other animals to dodge quickly.
They run very fast in the desert. Each stride can reach 3.5 m, their sustained running speed is 50 km per hour, they can run for more than 5 minutes, their sprint speed is more than 70 km per hour, and they can also clear obstacles more than 5 m high. They like to drink water and bathe.
2. Food
Their diet is very omnivorous, but it consists mainly of plant stems, leaves and fruits, especially flowering shrubs, parasitic creeping plants, ground-trailing cucurbit plants and wild figs, among others. They also eat insects, molluscs, small reptiles, birds and mammals, and at the same time swallow some sand grains to help digestion. Interestingly, nails, coins, bottle caps, string and even diamonds and other foreign objects can also be found in their stomach and intestines.
The African ostrich has a high conversion rate, and captive breeding can bring good economic value. Friends who want to invest in the breeding industry may consider it.