The Ostrich is the biggest bird in the world and can weigh as much as 180kg. They also lay the biggest egg in the world – one ostrich egg weighs about 1, 5 kg and is equivalent to 24 chicken eggs. Interestingly – the ostrich egg is the smallest egg in the world in relation…
Ostriches are so unique and different to any other animal including members of their own family – the Ratitae Family. They are pre-historic animals with many fascinating attributes. I want to share just some of them with you. One Ostrich Egg is equivalent to 24 hen’s eggs. One Ostrich Egg can take up to…
Ostriches are classified as Desert Birds and can survive in hot and dry climates. They can go without water for more than two weeks. Their ability to endure such arid climates has resulted in many people in the past referring to ostriches as “Camel Birds”; the ostrich’s survival ability in the desert being similar to…
For many years it is believed that the ostriches bury their heads in the sand. This however is not true. There are numerous reasons why this is a myth. One for instance is that when females turn the eggs twice a day, she will keep her head low to the ground and due to the…
When ostriches look at you it is hard to not see their eyes as they are so big and beautiful. As ostriches are the largest birds in the world they have the largest eyes of any bird in the world. Measuring at 5 centimetres in diameter from front to back, the ostrich eye is five…
The humble Ostrich belongs to the ratite family Struthioniformes, other members are rheas, emus, cassowaries, moa, kiwi and the largest known bird, extinct Elephant Bird. Ostriches inhabited Gondwana land which split apart in the early Jurassic Period 184 million years ago. Therefore the humble Ostrich has for over about 184 million odd years evolved from the…
When ostrich chicks are born they all have a brownish colour. This is for camouflage since they are so small and close to the ground – from far away predators can’t see that it’s ostrich chicks. Ostriches are desert birds who like hot and dry climates and hence their natural habitat is a dusty brown…
There are fossil remains that have been found that indicate that the ostrich has existed for millions of years. Many experts believe that their evolution process allowed them to survive for all that time. For example their very long and powerful legs. They may have developed them as well as the larger size of their…
Oudtshoorn is the true capital of the Klein Karoo, and its influence extends throughout the region. Commercial ostrich farming started in Oudtshoorn over 140 years ago and the town is rightly considered the ostrich capital of the world since here are more ostrich farms and ostriches than anywhere else in the world. South Africa controls…
We, at Safari Ostrich Farm, get this question regularly from our visitors. I must say it is a very relevant and good question. Ostriches are the biggest birds in the world and of course can’t fly. We will during the course of our farming operation move the birds from one camp to the next (to…