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Four ostriches, one black-and-white male and three brown females, walking on a sandy road.
Photo: Yathin S Krishnappa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Ostrich

Struthio camelus

The world's largest bird, a fast-running flightless bird of African savannas that lays the largest egg on Earth.

🪶 Flightless Birds
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About the Ostrich

Ostriches live in the savannas and deserts of Africa. A male can stand up to 9 feet tall. Ostriches cannot fly, but they can sprint up to 43 miles per hour and cover 10 to 16 feet in a single stride. They eat mostly roots, leaves and seeds, plus insects, snakes, lizards and rodents. And no, ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand![1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Struthio camelus[1]
Size
Females stand 5.7 to 6.2 feet (1.7 to 1.9 m) tall. Males stand 6.9 to 9 feet.[1]
Weight
Females 198 to 242 pounds (90 to 110 kg). Males 220 to 287 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
Median life expectancy is about 10 years.[1]
Diet
Omnivore. Mostly roots, leaves and seeds, plus insects, snakes, lizards and rodents.[1]
Habitat
Savannas and deserts.[1]
Where it lives
Africa. Native to more than 25 African countries.[1][2]
Group life
Usually groups of about 10 birds, or just a pair. Up to 700 may gather at water during the dry season.[1][2]
Babies
Eggs are about 6 inches (15 cm) long and weigh about 3 pounds (1.5 kg). They take about 40 days to hatch.[1][2]
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN Red List, common ostrich, assessed 2018).[3]

Fun facts

  • An ostrich egg is the largest egg, and the largest single cell, found on Earth today.[1]
  • An ostrich's eye is almost 2 inches (5 cm) across, the largest eye of any land animal.[1]
  • Ostriches are the only birds with just two toes on each foot.[1]
  • Ostriches can sprint up to 43 miles per hour (70 km/h) and keep up a steady 31 miles per hour.[1]
  • Ostriches do not bury their heads in the sand. That is a myth.[1]

Vocabulary

flightless
Not able to fly.
omnivore
An animal that eats both plants and other animals.
cell
The smallest living unit that makes up a plant or animal.
myth
A widely believed idea that is not true.
stride
The distance covered in one full step while running.

See it in person

Sources

  1. [1] San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “Ostrich.” https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/ostrich (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] African Wildlife Foundation. “Ostrich.” https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/ostrich (accessed 2026-10-02)
  3. [3] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Struthio camelus (Common Ostrich).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/45020636/132189458 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.