An ostrich is the largest bird in the world, but it cannot fly. Actually, it has strong legs with which it can run very fast, as fast as 96 kilometres an hour.
An ostrich can be as tall as a horse and weighs up to 135 kilograms. It is generally found in Africa. It can be seen in the company of large animals.
An ostrich makes its nest in the warm sand. A nest can have as many as fifteen eggs. An ostrich egg is quite large, as large as two dozen chicken eggs put together. The baby ostriches hatch in about six-seven weeks' time. They are of the size of a hen when they are born. The young ostriches can eat plants, seeds, fruits and insects. They also eat other ostrich's eggs. An ostrich is very stupid too, as it can swallow many other things such as nails, buttons and pieces of wire. An ostrich is very caring for the members of its family. It takes cares of its young and mates. The sound of an ostrich is more like a lion's roar than a bird's song. However, it spreads and fluffs its feathers into a fan displaying how beautiful it is. An ostrich dances, called waltz. Most of the animals keep away from it because a kick from its strong legs can be as lethal as that of a horse.
At present, many people raise ostriches for their plumes. An ostrich can live as long as eighty years, and when its plumes are clipped off, it grows new plumes.
