The Ostrich as is Known in the East African Savannah Grasslands

Article by John Kago

The ostrich is the largest and heaviest of all living birds in the world, but only after the extermination of the elephant bird of Madagascar which was more than three times as heavy as the ostrich we know today. There were five sub species of the ostrich in the world of which one of them Syrian ostrich(struthio camelus syriacus) had a rather extensive territory that stretched all the way from the middle East to Western Asia, but was exterminated from Asia and the Middle East in 1948 when the last one of them was felled along the Jordanian border, leaving four sub species all of which are found in Africa today.

Most of the ostriches found in ostrich farms around the globe are mainly feral. Ostriches introduced from several countries in West Africa and interbred with the South African variety produced the first hybridized birds. South Africa was the first to start ostrich farms way back in 1833. They are bred mainly for their low cholesterol meat and feathers.

Out in the wild the ostrich prefers to live in the savanna grassland where it can be able to spot predators from a distance as its height is an advantage out in the open, and at the same time it can enjoy grazing on the short nutritious grass, which also accommodates many types of grasshoppers and locusts all of which form part of the ostrich diet.

Out of the surviving four species of ostrich Kenya is the only country where one can find three of the four survivors within its borders African highlights Safaris organizes tours that will cover the areas covered by this birds. sustain speeds of 50/km per hour for about half an hour.The male ostrich weighs in at one hundred and fifty kilos and is quite unique among birds in that its copulatory organ is retractable and measures about 22 centimeters long. It only has two toes on each of its incredibly powerful legs that have been known to kill even lions especially if cornered and has to fight rather than flee.

The ostrich has a rather high concentration of urea in its urine which is excreted separately from the feaces this is once again an attribute that can only be accorded to the ostrich in the avian world. The ostrich is also unique in that it lacks the wish bone which is evident amongst all other birds. The preen gland which is found in most birds but more pronounced in aquatic birds which need it most as it produces an oily substance which help to keep their feathers water proof is lacking completely in this gigantic bird. The stomach of this huge bird is held in place by the fused pubic bones once again a distinct feature that is unique to ostriches

Ostriches have an incubation period of about 42 days and lay eggs of varying sizes which depend mainly on the age of the female. Young females will lay eggs weighing about 775 grammes which older female will lay eggs that will weigh more than twice as much and have a thickness of about 2 millimeters. During the incubation period the males incubate the eggs by night while the females do so by day.This makes sense since the male is black in colour and therefore not easy to spot at night when its laying flat on the ground and similarly the female being brown in colour will remain well camouflaged in the equally brown grass of the African savanna.