I was incredibly surprised to find out that I had yet to write a Wild Fact on the largest bird on this here planet of ours. I just don’t understand how the amazing Ostrich managed to hide this entire time. Well this game of Hide n’ Seek is over because today we are going to learn a little something about the wonderful Ostrich. This really is a special bird since not only are they the largest but they are also the fastest running bird as well. I can’t even break one record but a big ol’ bird has managed to make it into the Guinness Book twice! Go figure!

So just how big and how fast are these interesting creatures? Well the male Ostrich has been known to grow as tall as 2.7 m (9′) and have a wing span over 2 m (6′) so that is pretty impressive. I bet they would make awesome basketball players, especially since they are also capable of running at speeds of 70 km/hr (40 mph) or more. I think I would be pretty afraid to see a 9′ tall bird racing towards me at those speeds (or at any speed for that matter).

When the Ostrich isn’t being tall and fast, they usually just hang out in the open savannas of their African home looking for insects and grubs to feed on. I am sure we have all heard how these birds feed but let’s go over it again, just in case. Yes, the Ostrich is known for putting their head into the sand. To me it seems like a perfectly logical way to find a yummy bug or worm. I definitely wouldn’t make fun of the Ostrich for this odd behaviour since their kick is so powerful that it has been known to kill many mammals. We don’t want to add you to that list, now do we?

Ostrich Fast Fact – As you may expect, the largest bird in the world also lays the largest eggs. Believe it or not the Ostrich egg is about 10 times larger than your normal everyday chicken egg. Just imagine the size of omelette you could make with just one egg!  Interestingly enough, during mating season the “alpha” male will create a communal nest that will usually contain about 20 of these oversized eggs.  Unfortunately, these large eggs look scrumptious for predators such as jackals, cheetahs and hyena’s so only a couple of these eggs will ever get the chance to hatch.

So that does it for the long overdue Wild Fact on an amazing bird species. I hope you enjoyed learning about the Ostrich. See you tomorrow for another fun animal fact.