QUICK FACTS ABOUT OSTRICH

Did you know?

• The Ostrich is the largest living bird in the world.
• It is of the Ratite family, which means flightless bird.
• The Ostrich is native to Africa, yet thrives in countries all over the world.
• Adult males are eight to ten feet in height and weigh 350-400 pounds.
• A male Ostrich is called a rooster and a female Ostrich is called a hen.
• The male is black with white wing tips and tail plumes.
• The female has light brown and grey plumage and is slightly smaller than the male.
• This great bird has two toes, all other birds have three or four toes.
• An Ostrich will live to be 50 - 75 years old.
• Although an ostrich egg is the largest of all eggs, it is the smallest egg in relation to the size of the bird.
• The Ostrich egg will weigh 1600 gm and is equivalent to 2 dozen chicken eggs.
• An Ostrich Hen can lay 40 -100 eggs per year, averaging about 60 eggs per year.
• Ostrich eggs hatch in 42 days.
• An Ostrich chick grows one foot taller each month until it is 7-8 months old.
• Females sit on eggs by day; males sit on eggs by night.
• To soft boil a fresh egg would take one hour. To hard boil would take 1 1/2 hours.
• There are 3 main species of ostriches of which only one, the Struthio Camelus Domesticus (the African Black), is found in captivity.
• Ostriches are not an endangered species; there are at least 2 million worldwide.
• Ostriches have the best feed to weight ratio gain of any land animal in the world. They are successfully farmed in at least 50 countries; from the coldest climates of Alaska to the equatorial areas of central Africa.
• When fully grown an ostrich has one of the most advanced immune systems known to mankind.
• Ostriches are the second fastest animal in the world, and the fastest 2 legged animal, and can run at 45 miles per hour (70 km. per hour). They can maintain this speed for at least 30 minutes.
• Ostriches do not bury their head in the sand.
• Ostrich farming is one of the most open, free range farming alternatives available anywhere in the world today. On average, a trio of ostriches require about two thirds of an acre (0.25 hectares) to breed and run around in.
• Ostriches are an extremely resourceful species and are recognized as one of the only environmentally friendly animals in the world

Come check out the display and ask questions.