3. A baby ostrich will grow ten to twelve inches
every month for the first six months of its life.
ostrich eggs facts is that an ostrich hen can lay
40-200 eggs per year, and around 5-20 eggs at a
time. The eggs are guarded and incubated by the
hen during the day. The same task is performed
by the ostrich male, during the night.
Baby appearance
4. Appearance
Ostriches have long legs and a neck, and a small head. Male ostriches have black feathers and
female ostriches have grayandbrown feathers. Both males and females have white feathers on
their wings and tails. Male ostriches can be 1.8 - 2.7 meters / 6 - 9 feet tall, while female
ostriches are 1.7 - 2 meters / 5.5 - 6.5 ft tall. They can run with a speed of about 65 kilometers
per hour/40 miles per hour.
Life
In the wild the female takes care of the eggs during the day and the male takes care of the
eggs during the night. Ostriches live 30 to 40 years on average.
The egg is 15-20 cm long and weighs 1.7 kg (3 lb 12 oz). An adult human can stand on the egg
without breaking it.
Habitat
Ostriches only live in Africa. They live in open grassland called savannas in the Sahel. Some
Ostriches live in areas of the Sahara desert. There used to be Ostriches in Middle East in the
20th Century. Humans hunted and ate the Ostriches. They are now extinct in this area.
Adult ostrich
5. Diet
Ostriches mainly eat plant matter, but they also eats insects.
The plant matter consists of seeds, shrubs, grass, fruits and
flowers while the insects they eat including locusts.
Ostriches do not have teeth, therefore they swallow pebbles.
An adult Ostrich carries about 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of stones in
its stomach. When eating, their gullet is filled with food. After
that, the food is passed down their esophagus in the form of
a ball called a bolus. The bolus may be as much as 210 ml
(7.1 US fl oz). Ostriches can live without drinking for several
days.
Reproduction
Ostriches become sexually mature when they are 2 to 4
years old; females mature about six months earlier than
males. The mating season of ostriches begins in March or
April and ends before September. The mating process are
different in different regions. Males typically hiss and use
other sounds to claim victory over a harem of 2 to 7 hens.
The successful male will then be allowed to breed with all
the females in an area