Ostrich
Struthio camelus
ML-02
Male, Etosha National Park, July 2002
Fuji Provia 100F, Sigma EX 100-300/f4, Minolta Dynax 800Si, beanbag
Measurements: Height of male up to 2 m, wing about 900 cm, tail about 490, weight 60 - 80 kg (up to 157 kg recorded)
Identification: Very large :), male mostly black with white wings and white, buff or rufous tail; female brownish grey; neck and legs very long; neck nearly naked, bristly. Chick: Striped buff and black on head and neck; body with black and white bristles overlying buff down; below off-white.
Voice: Male has deep booming 4-syllabled boo boo boooooh hoo, sounding like roar of lion far away
Distribution: Mainly in western parts of southern Africa north of Orange River; also across to Zimbabwe, eastern Transvaal and extreme s Mozambique, scarce in settled areas. In central and western Africa: Sahel. Mauritania to Chad - north-eastern Central African Republic (Rare/uncommon).Tanzania, Kenya.
Sources:
Maclean, Gordon Lindsay. 2001. Roberts' Birds of Southern Africa. Cape Town: John Voelcker Bird Book Fund
Borrow, Nick & Demey, Ron. 2001. A Guide to the Birds of Western Africa. New Jersey: Princeton University Press
