IUCN: Least concern

• The ostrich is the largest living bird, weighing up to 140 kg and standing as tall as 2.5m.
• The ostrich is flightless and has only two forward-facing toes on each foot, their long robust legs are bare of feathers. Females are gray-brown, and males are black with white tail and wing feathers.
• Ostriches feed on seeds, berries, wild figs, and small animals such as lizards and other reptiles. The ostrich will, in fact, swallow almost anything – from stones (needed for digestion) to coins and broken glass.
• An ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain.
• It is not true that the ostrich hides its head in the sand in time of danger. But young birds will conceal themselves by lying down and stretching their necks out along the ground.
• Adult ostriches can run faster than some antelope, and month-old chicks have been clocked at 56 km/h.
• Rock carvings in the Sahara reveal that humans have used the ostrich and its products for at least 10,000 years.  Ancient Egyptians used decorated eggshells as drinking vessels.
• The size of the ostrich egg is remarkable in two ways: it is the largest bird egg in the world (weighing around 1.4kg), yet the smallest in relation to the size of the adult bird.