Ostrich
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Ostrich
Bird
A giant, flightless bird native to Africa, often farmed for its large eggs, meat, and feathers.
💡 Fun Facts
- The ostrich is the tallest and heaviest bird in the world, and it lays the largest eggs!
- They cannot fly, but they can sprint up to 43 miles per hour (70 km/h).
- Their eyes are bigger than their brains and are the largest of any land animal.
Name Story
Struthio camelus
means “the camel-bird”
What does its name mean?
- Struthio — bird (from the word for a sparrow)Latin, from Greek (strouthos)
- camelus — camelLatin, from Greek (kamēlos)
The ancient Greeks met this giant bird of the desert and named it the "camel-bird": it has a bird's body but a camel's long neck, long legs, two-toed feet and loping desert stride.