Ostrich, in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti plains, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa.

An ostrich, in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), in the southern Serengeti plains ecosystem, in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa. Ostriches are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal. Although flightless, they are the fastest birds on land, running up to 70 km/h (43 mph). They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for ceremonial headgear. Ostriches are of the genus Struthio in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, cassowaries, kiwis and the extinct elephant birds and moas. There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. UNESCO honors the NCA as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.

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Filename: 24.02AFR-1953.jpg
Copyright: © Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size: 4876x3251 / 4.4MB; http://www.photoseek.com/; Animalia Aves animal avian bird nature vertebrate wildlife
Contained in galleries: 2024 Feb AFRICA: TANZANIA, KENYA, VICTORIA FALLS, TANZANIA safari

An ostrich, in Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA), in the southern Serengeti plains ecosystem, in Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region, Tanzania, East Africa. Ostriches are the heaviest and largest living birds, with adult common ostriches weighing anywhere between 63.5 and 145 kilograms and laying the largest eggs of any living land animal. Although flightless, they are the fastest birds on land, running up to 70 km/h (43 mph). They are farmed worldwide, with significant industries in the Philippines and in Namibia. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for ceremonial headgear. Ostriches are of the genus Struthio in the order Struthioniformes, part of the infra-class Palaeognathae, a diverse group of flightless birds also known as ratites that includes the emus, rheas, cassowaries, kiwis and the extinct elephant birds and moas. There are two living species of ostrich: the common ostrich, native to large areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and the Somali ostrich, native to the Horn of Africa. UNESCO honors the NCA as a World Heritage Site and International Biosphere Reserve.