Language & Animals: Ostriches

The ostrich (Struthio camelus) is a large flightless bird that lives in Africa. Ostriches are the largest living bird species, and they have the biggest eggs of all the birds in the world. They also are the fastest bird at running. They are part of the order Struthioniformes.
Ostriches have long legs and a neck, and a small head. Male ostriches have black feathers and female ostriches have grey-brown feathers. Both males and females have white feathers on their wings and tails. Male ostriches can be 1.8 - 2.7 metres / 6 - 9 feet tall, while female ostriches are 1.7 - 2 m / 5.5 - 6.5 ft tall. They can run with a speed of about 65 kmh /40 mph.
In the wild the female takes care of the eggs during the day and the male takes care of the eggs during the night. Ostriches live 30 to 40 years on average.
The egg is 15-20 cm long and weighs 1.7 kg (3 lb 12 oz). An adult human can stand on the egg without breaking it.
Ostriches used to be only farmed for their nice feathers, which are decorative and are also used for feather boas and feather dusters. Today they are also farmed for their skin, which is used to make leather. Ostriches are also farmed for their meat and eggs.
A person who hides away from unpleasant reality is called an ostrich from the belief that the ostrich puts its head in the sand and then thinks that all of its body is hidden.
It's no good playing ostrich. You have to face up to things.
Contrary to popular belief, Ostriches do not bury their heads in sand. This myth likely began with the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79), who wrote that Ostriches "imagine, when they have thrust their head and neck into a bush, that the whole of their body is concealed."