Bird Album
Common Ostrich
Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758
111 kgWeight
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa (and historically, Arabia) and is the largest living species of bird.
Busiest months: August–November · Most records: Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania
Where and when it's recorded
Common Ostrich has been recorded at 198 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 17 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Nairobi NPKenya2,484 records
- Ngorongoro Conservation Area – Ngorongoro CraterTanzania1,610 records
- Tarangire NPTanzania1,334 records
More places
- Amboseli NPKenya1,301 records
- Rietvlei NRSouth Africa1,274 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa989 records
- Serengeti NPTanzania773 records
- Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya709 records
- Maasai Mara NRKenya695 records
- Table Mt. NP – Cape of Good HopeSouth Africa612 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The common ostrich (Struthio camelus), or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa (and historically, Arabia) and is the largest living species of bird. The common ostrich is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus Struthio in the ratite group of birds. The other is the Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes), which has been recognised as a distinct species by BirdLife International since 2014, having been previously considered a distinctive subspecies of ostrich.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Common Ostrich?
The Common Ostrich weighs around 111 kg.
Where does the Common Ostrich live?
Its breeding range: Africa: western, central, eastern, southwestern. It is most often recorded in Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania.
When is the best time to see the Common Ostrich?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in August, September, October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Common Ostrich endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Common Ostrich as Least Concern.
What does the Common Ostrich eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Common Ostrich in?
It belongs to the family Ostriches (Struthionidae), order Struthioniformes.
At a glance
- Weight
- 111 kg
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 579 mm
- Tail
- 309 mm
- Bill
- 90 mm
- Tarsus
- 481 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: western, central, eastern, southwestern
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Struthioniformes
- Family
- Ostriches Struthionidae
- Genus
- Struthio
Other birds in the genus Struthio
Somali OstrichStruthio molybdophanes
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by tlim. ↗
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