The ostrich ( Struthio camelus ) is a large, flightless bird native to Africa's open country and the largest living bird. A male ostrich can grow to 2.75 meters (9 feet) tall and weigh over 150 kg (330 pounds). Ostriches are often alone, in pairs, in small flocks, or in large groups, depending on the season. They can run at speeds of 72.5 km (45 miles) per hour using their strong, two-toed legs to escape from predators. If cornered, they can deliver dangerous, even deadly, kicks. Ostriches eat mainly vegetation and some insects and can go long periods without water. Breeding males roar and hiss while fighting for a harem of three to five hens. A nest in the ground contains over a dozen shiny, whitish eggs. The male incubates the eggs at night, and the females take turns during the day. Chicks hatch in about 40 days and can keep up with running adults at one month old.

Where do ostriches live?

Ostriches are large, flightless birds that live only in the open country of Africa. They can be seen alone, in pairs, in small flocks, or in large groups, depending on the season. The ostrich uses its strong legs to escape from its enemies, mainly humans and large carnivores. A scared ostrich can run as fast as 72.5 kilometers (45 miles) per hour. If it is trapped, it can kick powerfully.

How is an ostrich different from most other birds?

The ostrich stands out from most other birds due to its unique characteristics and adaptations. As the world's largest living bird, it can reach up to 9 feet in height and weigh over 330 pounds. Unlike most birds, the ostrich is flightless, relying instead on its strong legs to escape predators at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. Its legs are also unique, having only two toes, with the main toe developed almost as a hoof. If cornered, it can deliver dangerous kicks. The ostrich's egg is also the world’s largest, averaging about 6 inches in length by 5 inches in diameter and about 3 pounds in weight.

What do ostriches eat?

Ostriches primarily eat vegetation, but they also supplement their diet with animal food, especially insects. They are known to survive for extended periods without water. As opportunistic feeders, ostriches consume whatever is available in their habitat, including seeds, shrubs, fruits, flowers, and occasionally small reptiles and rodents. They may also ingest sand and pebbles, which help with grinding food in their gizzard, aiding digestion.

How do ostriches protect themselves from predators?

To protect themselves from predators, ostriches rely on their strong legs to escape, and can run up to 72.5 km (45 miles) per hour. If cornered, they can deliver dangerous, even deadly, kicks with their two-toed feet, which have a developed main toe almost like a hoof. These kicks are strong enough to kill lions and other large predators. Also, to avoid detection, chicks and adults may lie on the ground with their necks stretched out.

What roles do male and female ostriches play in raising their young?

In ostriches, breeding males compete for a harem of three to five hens. The major hen in the harem may eliminate some eggs from the communal nest, which is a scrape in the ground, to make incubation manageable. This nest holds over a dozen shiny, whitish eggs. The male ostrich incubates the eggs at night, while the females take turns during the day. After about 40 days, the chicks hatch, and within a month, they can keep pace with the running adults. Both chicks and adults may lie on the ground with their necks outstretched to avoid detection.

Ostrich

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Study the courtship practices of these flightless ratites and watch a mother ostrich care for its young

Maasai ostriches (Struthio camelus massaicus) in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya.

Illustration of various animals running or moving, each labeled with its top speed, including cheetah, pronghorn antelope, ostrich, giraffe, elephant, deer, gazelle, greyhound, jackrabbit, fox, emu, roadrunner, warthog, rhinoceros, Mongolian wild ass, two-toed sloth, and desert tortoise.

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Related Topics:: 6 of the World’s Most Dangerous Birds; Flightless bird; ratite; Syrian ostrich; North African ostrich

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Ostrich

bird

Also known as: Struthio camelus

Written and fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Nov. 13, 2026 •History

Top Questions

What is an ostrich?
The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a large, flightless bird native to Africa's open country and the largest living bird. A male ostrich can grow to 2.75 meters (9 feet) tall and weigh over 150 kg (330 pounds). Ostriches are often alone, in pairs, in small flocks, or in large groups, depending on the season. They can run at speeds of 72.5 km (45 miles) per hour using their strong, two-toed legs to escape from predators. If cornered, they can deliver dangerous, even deadly, kicks.

Ostriches eat mainly vegetation and some insects and can go long periods without water. Breeding males roar and hiss while fighting for a harem of three to five hens. A nest in the ground contains over a dozen shiny, whitish eggs. The male incubates the eggs at night, and the females take turns during the day. Chicks hatch in about 40 days and can keep up with running adults at one month old.
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1. 6 of the World’s Most Dangerous Birds: Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
2. ostrich
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Where do ostriches live?
Ostriches are large, flightless birds that live only in the open country of Africa. They can be seen alone, in pairs, in small flocks, or in large groups, depending on the season. The ostrich uses its strong legs to escape from its enemies, mainly humans and large carnivores. A scared ostrich can run as fast as 72.5 kilometers (45 miles) per hour. If it is trapped, it can kick powerfully.
2 Britannica Sources
1. 6 of the World’s Most Dangerous Birds: Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
2. ostrich
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How is an ostrich different from most other birds?
The ostrich stands out from most other birds due to its unique characteristics and adaptations. As the world's largest living bird, it can reach up to 9 feet in height and weigh over 330 pounds.

Unlike most birds, the ostrich is flightless, relying instead on its strong legs to escape predators at speeds up to 45 miles per hour. Its legs are also unique, having only two toes, with the main toe developed almost as a hoof. If cornered, it can deliver dangerous kicks. The ostrich's egg is also the world’s largest, averaging about 6 inches in length by 5 inches in diameter and about 3 pounds in weight.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What do ostriches eat?
Ostriches primarily eat vegetation, but they also supplement their diet with animal food, especially insects. They are known to survive for extended periods without water.

As opportunistic feeders, ostriches consume whatever is available in their habitat, including seeds, shrubs, fruits, flowers, and occasionally small reptiles and rodents. They may also ingest sand and pebbles, which help with grinding food in their gizzard, aiding digestion.
2 Britannica Sources
1. animal: Digestion
2. ostrich
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do ostriches protect themselves from predators?
To protect themselves from predators, ostriches rely on their strong legs to escape, and can run up to 72.5 km (45 miles) per hour. If cornered, they can deliver dangerous, even deadly, kicks with their two-toed feet, which have a developed main toe almost like a hoof. These kicks are strong enough to kill lions and other large predators. Also, to avoid detection, chicks and adults may lie on the ground with their necks stretched out.
2 Britannica Sources
1. 6 of the World's Most Dangerous Birds: Ostrich (Struthio camelus)
2. ostrich
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What roles do male and female ostriches play in raising their young?
In ostriches, breeding males compete for a harem of three to five hens. The major hen in the harem may eliminate some eggs from the communal nest, which is a scrape in the ground, to make incubation manageable. This nest holds over a dozen shiny, whitish eggs.

The male ostrich incubates the eggs at night, while the females take turns during the day. After about 40 days, the chicks hatch, and within a month, they can keep pace with the running adults. Both chicks and adults may lie on the ground with their necks outstretched to avoid detection.
4 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ostrich, (Struthio camelus), large flightless bird found only in open country in Africa. The largest living bird, an adult male may be 2.75 metres (about 9 feet) tall—almost half of its height is neck—and weigh more than 150 kg (330 pounds); the female is somewhat smaller. The ostrich’s egg, averaging about 150 mm (6 inches) in length by 125 mm (5 inches) in diameter and about 1.35 kg (3 pounds), is also the world’s largest. The male is mostly black but has white plumes in the wings and tail; females are mostly brown. The head and most of the neck, reddish to bluish in colour, is lightly downed; the legs, including the powerful thighs, are bare. The head is small, the bill short and rather wide; the big brown eyes have thick black lashes.

Ostriches are seen individually, in pairs, in small flocks, or in large aggregations, depending on the season. The ostrich relies on its strong legs—uniquely two-toed, with the main toe developed almost as a hoof—to escape its enemies, chiefly humans and the larger carnivores. A frightened ostrich can achieve a speed of 72.5 km (45 miles) per hour. If cornered, it can deliver dangerous kicks.

Ostriches live mainly on vegetation but also take some animal food, mainly insects; they can go without water for long periods. Breeding males emit lionlike roars and hisses as they fight for a harem of three to five hens. A communal nest scraped in the ground contains more than a dozen shiny, whitish eggs. The major hen of the harem may get rid of some of the eggs to make incubation more manageable. The male sits on the eggs by night; the females take turns during the day. The chicks hatch in about 40 days and when a month old can keep up with running adults. To escape detection, chicks as well as adults may lie on the ground with neck outstretched, a habit that may have given rise to the mistaken belief that the ostrich buries its head in the sand when danger threatens. Ostrich plumes adorned the helmets of medieval European knights, and in the 19th century such plumes were sold for women’s finery. This demand led to the establishment of ostrich farms in South Africa, the southern United States, Australia, and elsewhere, but the trade collapsed after World War I. Ostriches are now raised for their meat and hide, which provides a soft, fine-grained leather. The birds have been trained for saddle and sulky racing, but they tire easily and are not well suited for training. They do well in captivity and may live 50 years.

pigeon. pigeon and dove. member of the order Columbiformes, family Columbidae

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The ostrich is typical of a group of flightless birds called ratites. Ostrich populations differing slightly in skin colour, size, and egg features formerly were considered separate species, but now they are considered to be merely races of Struthio camelus. Most familiar is the North African ostrich, S. camelus camelus, ranging, in much-reduced numbers, from Morocco to Sudan. Ostriches also live in eastern and southern Africa. The Syrian ostrich (S. camelus syriacus) of Syria and Arabia became extinct in 1941. The ostrich is the only living species in the genus Struthio. Ostriches are the only members of the family Struthionidae in the order Struthioniformes—a group that also contains kiwis, emus, cassowaries, and rheas. The oldest fossil relatives of ostriches belong to the species Calciavis grandei, which were excavated from the Green River Formation in Wyoming and date to the Eocene Epoch, some 56 million to 34 million years ago.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.

Ostrich

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