Ostrich is a large flightless bird

The Ostrich, Struthio camelus, is a large flightless bird native to Africa. It is the only living species of its family, Struthionidae and its genus, Struthio. Ostriches share the order Struthioniformes with the kiwis, Emus, and other ratites. It is distinctive in its appearance, with a long neck and legs and the ability to run at maximum speeds of about 45 miles per hour , the top land speed of any bird.




Distribution and habitat

Ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the Sahara, Africa south,East Africa of the rain forest belt, and much of Asia Minor.Today Ostriches prefer open land and are native to the savannas and Sahel of Africa, both south and north of the equatorial forest zone.In Southwest Africa they inhabit the semidesert or true desert.They rarely go above 100 metres.The Arabian Ostriches in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century.

Hunting and farming

In Roman times, there was a demand for Ostriches to use in venatio games or cooking. They have been hunted and farmed for their feathers, which at various times have been popular for ornamentation in fashionable clothing.In the 18th century they were almost hunted to extinction; farming for feathers began in the 19th century. The market for feathers collapsed after World War I, but commercial farming for feathers and later for skins became widespread during the 1970s.It is claimed that Ostriches produce the strongest commercial leather.Ostrich meat tastes similar to lean beef and is low in fat and cholesterol, as well as high in calcium, protein and iron.Uncooked, it is dark red or cherry red, a little darker than beef.

Conservation

The wild Ostrich population has declined drastically in the last 200 years, with most surviving birds in game parks or on farms;however, they have a conservation status of Least Concern,with an occurrence range of 12,000,000 km2.