Ostrich
Description: Ostrich is a well-known, enormous and flightless bird which is common in Botswana. Immature like small, scruffy female, usually accompanied by adults.
Behaviour and habitat: Ostriches are normally found in parties but during the breeding season they tend to split up into pairs or a group consisting of a male and two or three females. Instances have been recorded where a single male was accompanied by a number of females which laid their eggs in the same nest. The nest is a wide hollow scratched in the ground in which the ten to twenty large eggs are laid.
During the breeding season the adults will defend the nest and try to kick or knock over an intruder. The birds feed on plants, particularly succulents, berries and seeds. They also swallow hard objects such as pebbles to help crush the food. Ostriches are usually seen walking slowly across the veld but when disturbed they can run at considerable speed.
Their speeds can measure at more than 40 km/h. When they run, the wings are usually stretched away from the body. They occur widely throughout Botswana (less frequently in areas of human settlement) and are found in all habitats except wetlands, being most common in the more arid zones.
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