Wildlife Fact File - Birds - 21-30

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OSTRICH ~~----------------------------------------~ FAMILY GENUS & SPECIES ORDER Struthionidae Struthio came/us ~ Struthioniformes

KEY FACTS SIZES Height: Males, 6-9 ft. Females, 5-6 ft. Weight: Males, up to 350 lb. Females, up to 200 lb. BREEDING Sexual maturity: Males, 3-4 years. Females, 2 years. Mating season: Varies. Eggs: 10-12, cream or white. Incubation: About 42 days. Fledging: 4-5 months. LIFESTYLE Habit: Usually forms small groups. Diet: Grasses, seeds, leaves, and flowers. Very occasionally eats locusts and grasshoppers. lifespan: Over 40 years. RELATED SPECIES Nearest relatives are rheas, cassowaries, kiwis, and emus-all fl fghtless birds.

Range of the ostrich.

DISTRIBUTION Widespread in the southern Sahara, Somalia, Ethiopia, and parts of East Africa and t he Zambesi. Feral populations, descendants of introduced birds, also exist in Aust ralia. CONSERVATION Numbers in southern Sahara are decreasing due to hunting. In other places, populations are not t hreatened but are declining as a result of human intrusion into habitats.

HOW THE OSTRICH RUN S FROM DANG ER Unique among birds, the ostrich has hoof-like feet (top right) which help it to run rapidly away from danger. Powered by strong leg muscles, it walks at a speed of 2 mph . When alarmed , it will run at 20 mph. When frightened , an ostrich can sprint at 45 mph (bottom right) .

The comical-looking ostrich is unique in many ways: it is the world's largest bird, it can run faster than any other two-legged animal, and it lays the largest eggs of any living creature.

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Although the ostrich is native only to parts of Africa, it is one of the world's best known birds. Left: Kicking up sand as they go, ostriches swing from side to side as they run across a dry river bed.

Its bizarre appearance is characterized by a round, dumpy body, spindly legs, and a long neck extending up to a small head. Its large eyes give it a quizzical-looking expression.

~ HABITS Depending upon the amount of grass and vegetation available, ostriches will live in a variety of habitats, including sparsely wooded areas, savannah grasslands, and semideserts. Outside the breeding

DID YOU KNOW? season, adult ostriches spend their time in small, loose groups of two to five birds. Desert populations of ostriches are more nomadic. They travel great distances to find food and to avoid drought.

~ FOOD &: FEEDING The ostrich grazes on the scarce but nutritious plant shoots, leaves, flowers, and seeds in its habitat. With the use of its long neck, it gathers food and stores it in its throat, called a gullet, before passing it down the digestive tract. Like many other birds, the ostrich also swallows dirt, sand, and small stones along

with its food. This material grinds up the tough plant fibers that accumulate in the gizzard (the bird's second stomach) and so helps digestion. While grazing, ostriches often scan the horizon for a sign of predators. Their long necks and acute vision are especially helpful for this purpose.

• It is a common misconception that ostriches bury their heads in the sand . This belief most likely came about because, from a distance, the tiny head of a grazing ostrich may not be visible. • Ostriches in captivity have swallowed an amazing variety of objects. During its lifetime, one ostrich swallowed a roll of film, three gloves, a comb, a bicycle valve, a pencil, a piece of rope, several coins, part of a gold necklace, a handkerchief, and a clock. • One ostrich egg is equal in volume to twenty hen's eggs. • Ostrich fossils found in India, China, and southern Russia are 7 million years old .

~ OSTRICH &: MAN Ostriches were once farmed for their feathers, which were used as hat plumes. Today they are raised for their meat and skin. They have also been trained to scare other birds away from crops and to round up sheep, as well as to be ridden in races. Ostriches were first introduced into Australia in the 1860s. Many of the ostriches being farmed escaped and started breeding in the wild.

During breeding season, males make several shallow depressions, called nest scrapes, in the ground within their territories. Each male pairs up with a female-the major henwho chooses a nest scrape and lays as many as twelve eggs.

Thereafter, two to five additional hens also lay their eggs in the same nest. Because of its large size, the ostrich can incubate many eggs. However, if there are more eggs than she can incubate, the major hen will

roll some of the minor hens' eggs to the edge of the nest, where they may fail to hatch. Soon after hatching, the brood joins up with broods from other nests, and the large flock of chicks is guarded by one or two adults. left: Males defend their breeding territories by chasing away intruders and making aggressive displays, flicking their wings or raising them in the air.

Right: As night fal/s, the male takes over nest duty. If he has a large troop of minor hens, he may be sitting on up to forty eggs, although only those eggs at the center of the nest, laid by the major hen, are sure to hatch.

KEY FACTS

"" CARD 22

MAGPIE

~~--------------------------------------~ , . GENUS &: SPECIES , . FAMllY

~ ORDER ~ Passerifarmes

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Carvidae

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SIZES length: 15-1 8 in. Tail: Approximately 8-9 in. Wingspan: 20 in. Weight: 7-9 oz.

Pica pica

Iy l BREEDING "'. Sexual maturity: 1 year. Breeding season: April-June. No. of broods: 1, but repeat clutches are laid if eggs fail to hatch. Eggs: Usually 5-7. Pale, creamy blue or green, spotted brown. Incubation: 1 7-1 8 days. Fledging period: 3-4 weeks. ly "'.

l liFESTYlE Habit: Solitary or in pairs. Diet: Omnivorous, mainly insects. Call: Loud ka-ka-ka. RELATED SPECIES Magpies are members of the crow family. This family also includes rooks, jackdaws, and ravens.

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Range of the magpie.

DISTRIBUTION Much of Europe, including Great Britain, Asia, northwest Africa, and western North America. CONSERVATION Numbers are probably increasing in all habitats, in spite of some persecution by those who consider them a nuisance.

THE MAGPIE & ITS NEST

Magpie nests are large, cup-shaped structures made of twigs and coated with mud or dung . They are lined with fine plant stems, grass, or hair-which is sometimes pulled from living animals.

Birds of both sexes have distinctive plumage and long, wedgeshaped tails.

The magpie's large size, distinctive coloring, and long tail make it unmistakable. It is a clever bird and can survive in a variety of habitats.

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~ BREEDING Left: Its long tail and iridescent plumage make the magpie quite unmistakable.

Right: A female magpie returns to the nest to feed her hungry brood.

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At first sight, the magpie's distinctive plumage looks black and white, but on closer inspection, it appears a metallic green-blue color. This striking bird is related to the plain, black crow, with which it has in common a heavy bill, keen eyesight, and sharp intelligence.

neatly woven nest of twigs holds the magpie's clutch of seven green, mottled eggs.

The magpies' ideal habitat is a combination of open ground and scrub or woodland where it can feed and find suitable trees for nest building. In the past, the magpie was principally found on farmland among thickly hedged mead-

BIRDWATCH

The magpie is omnivorousit eats both meat and plants. The magpie forages mainly on the ground, where it feeds on insects, slugs, snails, wood lice, and spiders. It has also been known to kill small mammals and lizards. Farmers dislike the magpie because it steals grain, seeds, berries, and fruit. In spring, the magpie will systematically search hedges and bushes for the nests of other birds so it can steal and

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