More than 10, 000 species of birds currently live on our planet. Almost all of them know how to fly. But there is a separate group of birds among them, popularly called heavy giants. Not only can they not fly, but they cannot even take off the ground! They have no wings, they are solid decorative appendages. Of course, we are talking about true ostriches and their distant relatives - emu, cassowary and nandu. You can see photos of all these birds in our article. So, today we will tell you about amazing flightless birds, their records, and also dwell in detail on an ostrich with the charismatic name of Nanda.
Who are ostriches?
Ostrich (photo 1) is the largest bird in the world. Ornithologists have found that adult males of these giants can grow up to 2.5 meters in height and weigh almost a centner! In addition, adult ostriches can run at speeds up to 50 km / h and run for about 30 minutes. They have excellent hearing and vision. All these abilities provide ostriches with excellent protection against modern predators. The exception is a person who has learned to deftly hunt these amazing creatures of nature.
Why don't ostriches fly?
According to the calculations once presented by physicists, ornithologists came to the conclusion that only feathered whose body weight does not exceed 12 kilograms can move through the air using active flapping flight and rely only on the strength of their own muscles. Larger birds can only plan in the air due to ascending currents. What can I say about heavy ostriches! These giants existed in the era of dinosaurs, but even then they could not take to the air.
It is curious that, for example, a South American ostrich called nandu, although it does not fly, however, is already very close to the upper limit of the weight range of flying birds. For example, a large nanda pulls 25 kilograms, and its small “colleague” - Darwin’s nanda - does not exceed 15 kilograms at all. Perhaps sometime these creatures will soar into the sky. Speaking about the body weight of modern ostriches, one cannot but mention their peculiar rating.
Who is he the largest ostrich in the world?
This is an African ostrich (photo presented in the article). Currently, he is the largest and strongest representative of the bird class on Earth. It is recorded that the largest African ostrich reaches a height of 2.7 meters with a weight of 130 kilograms. Some ornithologists also mention individuals weighing 150 kilograms. Females of these giants grow only to 1.9 meters and weigh from 75 to 96 kilograms.
Who is given the second place in the ranking of feathered giants?
Do you think this is an Ostrich Rhea? No! This is a helmeted cassowary that lives on the island of New Guinea. In terms of size and weight of his body, it is he who takes second place in the ranking of the largest birds on Earth. Its weight is 80 kilograms with a body height of 1.5 meters. He got his name thanks to a peculiar outgrowth in the form of a helmet on his head.
The largest ostriches. Third place
The third place of honor in the hierarchy of feathered heavyweights is awarded to emus that are popular all over the world. These creatures weigh up to 50 kilograms. In length can reach up to 1.9 meters. Emu live in Australia and belong to the order of the cassowary. Despite their impressive size, these creatures try to avoid densely populated areas, arid zones and dense forests.
Who is this Ondu Ostrich?
Nandu is a species of ostriches belonging to the family of flightless birds and representing a squad of nanduiformes. His homeland is South America. For this, the rhea was called the South American (or American) ostrich. Nandu - a bird that can be safely dubbed the "double" of the African ostrich! The fact is that outwardly this creature very much resembles the largest bird in the world, however, the degree of their kinship still causes discussions and scientific debate among ornithologists.
Where does the nanda live?
They are widespread throughout Argentina, in Chile and Uruguay, in Paraguay, Bolivia and, of course, in Brazil. A separate species of them - Darwin's Rndu - is also found in southern Peru. Most of these creatures prefer open areas of savannah type, for example, the Andes mountain plateaus or the so-called Patagonian lowlands. Northern Rhea can also be seen in the lowest areas with a warm climate. Recently, scientists made a whole discovery: Darwin’s gang can live both at altitudes of up to 4.5 kilometers, and in the subpolar extreme south of South America.
What does an American ostrich eat?
Nandu, like most other ostriches, feed on everything that falls under their feet. In other words, these are omnivorous birds. In particular, they eat broadleaf plants, fruits, seeds, rhizomes of trees, insects, and even small vertebrates (rodents, frogs). Nanda, like camels, can do without water for a long time. The fact is that they easily fill this need from the consumed food.
Like many other large flightless birds, these creatures regularly swallow stones touring, helping them grind food in the stomach. There is a popular belief that the Nandus are fearless exterminators of poisonous snakes. It is worth noting that it is erroneous. Ornithologists have not yet documented a single such case.
Nandu. Lifestyle
As a rule, a South American ostrich is an adherent of a daytime lifestyle. It can only be prevented from living during the day by extremely hot weather. At this time, the Nanda are awake in the evening or at night. These birds prefer to keep in herds from 10 to 35 individuals. Such a family usually includes several males, several females and young animals. These creatures are polygamous, i.e. one male during the mating season “serves” several females at once. Females lay their eggs in a common nest. Incubation continues for 6 weeks, after which ostriches are born.
