North-African Ostrich

     The North-African Ostrich, also known as the Red-Necked Ostrich or the Barbary Ostrich, is the largest of the 4 species of Ostriches. Which makes it the largest known living bird on Earth. When standing erect, the North-African ostrich reaches the height of 2.74 m and weighs up to 154 kg.

     The North-African ostrich was once widespread in western and northern Africa. It originally lived in North Africa from the Mediterranean coast south into the wooded Savannah bordering the central African rain forests. And from the Atlantic coast of Mauritania east to the Sudan and Ethiopia. Now the North-African ostrich is extinct in northern Africa for several hundred miles south of the Mediterranean Sea as a result of over-hunting for meat and sport. And in the northeast corner of its current range it barely survives in southeast Egypt bordering the Red Sea. The North-African ostrich is now also rare throughout the rest of its natural range, but flocks of semi-feral and domesticated birds occur in some areas.

     The North-African Ostrich has a pinkish-red neck and hence comes its other common name. It resembles its close relative; the Masai Ostrich, but the latter species is smaller in comparison and has a narrower white ring in the male’s neck. The North-African Ostrich has also loose, soft, and smooth feathers which is black with white primaries and tail in males, and grey brown with white primaries in females.

    As other ostrich species, the top hen lay her creamy white eggs first then other females put their eggs in her nest. After that she discards the extra eggs from the nest and gives hers the priority. In most cases the nest doesn’t contain more than 20 eggs although every hen can lay 7 – 10 eggs. The male North-African ostrich usually incubates eggs during the night shift and the female does the incubation during the day shift. The chicks hatch almost after 35 – 45 days and are reared by both males and females. They reach the size of their parents almost after 6 months and reach sexual maturity between 2 – 4 years.