Looking for some fun and fascinating facts to impress your friends at your next trivia night? Look no further than the mighty ostrich! These flightless birds may not be able to soar through the skies, but they’ve got plenty of other impressive tricks up their sleeves (or, um, wings?). From their massive size to their unique mating habits, we’ve got 30 ostrich facts that are sure to make you say, “Wow, I never knew that!”
1-10 Amazing Facts About Ostrich
1. One ostrich egg is equivalent to about 24 hen’s eggs in size.
2. Ostriches in their natural habitat can live up to 40 years, while those in captivity can live up to 50 years.
3. During mating season (June-November), the male ostrich’s beak and legs turn red or pink as a way to attract females for mating.
4. Ostriches are not capable of choking on their food.
5. Attendance at a 1990 ostrich race in a nearby suburb was five times higher than the attendance at the United States Grand Prix held on the same day. Who needs Grand Prix when you have an ostrich race anyway?
7. When it comes to sweating, ostriches are like, “Nah, we’re good” – they don’t even have sweat glands!
8. Ostriches are flightless birds that use their wings for balancing and regulating body temperature.
9. The male ostrich is called a rooster and sits on the eggs during the night, while the female ostrich, called a hen, sits on the eggs during the day.
10. Contrary to popular belief, ostriches don’t bury their heads in the sand – they’re not that ostrichious.
11-20 Interesting Facts About Ostrich
11. Ostriches can run at speeds of up to 70 to 80 km/h (43 to 50 mph).
12. Ostriches are like cheetahs on two legs, as they hold the title of fastest land bird in the world.
13. The “Guns and Dope Party,” upon taking office in the United States, proposed firing 33% of Congress and replacing them with adult ostriches.
14. The ostrich egg is the largest egg in the world, but interestingly, it is the smallest egg relative to the bird’s body size.
15. When threatened, ostriches use their powerful legs and feet to kick and defend themselves. In fact, a single kick from an ostrich can be strong enough to kill a lion.
16. They are also the largest-birds in the world.
17. Ostrich predators, such as hyenas and jackals, would drop stones on ostrich eggs to break them.
18. The common ostrich and Somali ostrich are the only two living species of ostriches.
19. Male ostriches use their feathers and perform dances, flaps, or wing bows to attract female ostriches.
20. No teeth, no problem – ostriches simply swallow rocks to grind up their food.
21-30 Fun Facts About Ostrich
21. Research suggests that the male ostrich’s neck becomes red while the female ostrich’s feathers turn silvery when they are ready to mate.
22. Newly hatched ostrich chicks are roughly the size of a chicken.
23. Don’t believe the hype – ostriches have never been caught burying their heads in the ground, even in the face of danger.
24. North Korea once tried to solve its food shortage by breeding ostriches, but most of the birds were consumed by the rich and powerful in Pyongyang.
25. Ostriches are the only birds that urinate and defecate separately.
26. Ostriches and zebras are the ultimate dynamic duo, teaming up to protect each other from predators. The ostrich acts as the lookout with its keen eyesight, while the zebra uses its sense of hearing to detect danger.
27. In 2008, Iran attempted to make the world’s largest-sandwich using over a ton of ostrich meat. However, hungry onlookers devoured the sandwich before it could be officially verified. That’s one expensive meal!
28. Here’s a fun fact: an ostrich’s eye is actually bigger than its brain. So much for the phrase “bird brain”!
29. Ostrich testicles are available for human consumption online.
30. In California, ostrich steaks are exempt from state sales tax.
Last but not least, ostriches have been known to display homosexual behavior. Hey, love knows no bounds, right?
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 30 Amazing Ostrich Facts For Kids.
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