a celebration of Humans, Food, & Culture
22 FACTS ABOUT THE WORLD'S LARGEST BIRDS
CAPTURED BY THE RECIPE HUNTERS IN SWEDEN
1. Think a dog will scare robbers away? How about Beware of Ostrich! Ostrich kicks can kill a potential predator like a lion.
2. Ever wonder how they paint cars with such fresh coats? The spinning dusters to clean debris between layers of paint are made from ostrich feathers...but ONLY the best ones, the female ones!
3. Ostriches lay eggs in the summer and the eggs take about 6 weeks (42 days) to hatch; this is also known as the incubation period.
4. Looking to supply your entire town with omelets! Ostriches can lay between 40-70 eggs in one summer.
5. Think high heels are uncomfortable? Anatomically, Ostriches actually walk on their tippy toes and sit on their feet.
6. Ostriches are born with white feathers that change to grey or black after 1 year depending on their sex. Ostriches with Grey feathers are female while Ostriches with Black feathers are male.
7. Think your baby weighs a lot after a year? Ostriches can weigh up to 140 kg or 300 lbs after a 1 year.
8. The average ostrich egg size is 13cm x 16cm (5.1 in x 6.3 in) and the weight ranges between 1 and 1.9 kg (2.4 and 4.2 lbs).
9. The largest egg on record weighed 2.589 kg (5 lb 11.36 oz) and was laid by an ostrich at Sahlin Struts, an Ostrich Farm owned by Kerstin and Gunnar Sahlin (Sweden) in Borlänge, Sweden, on 17 May 2008.
10. 1 ostrich egg is equivalent to about 18 - 25 chicken eggs.
11. Do you have time for breakfast? Ostrich eggs take at least one hour to boil.
12. Ostriches have no vocal cords or syrinx and cannot make any sounds.
13. Ostriches have a little brain but big hearts...their brains are smaller
than their eyeballs.
14. Ostriches have two toes, all other birds have 3 or 4.
15. Although they have wings, Ostriches are flightless.
16. Ostriches run up to 65 km/h (40 mph) and can maintain that speed.
17. A common myth busted: ostriches do not bury their heads into the sand but just dig holes in the sand to make nests for their eggs or prowl down low when trying to avoid being seen.
18. An Ostrich egg shell is about 2 mm (1/12th in) thick and consists of calcium carbonate. It is a source of Calcium for the growing embryo and is covered with an anti-bacterial coating; the cuticle. (not from sahlins)
19. You can find incredible ice cream made with Ostrich eggs at Sahlins Struts in Borlänge, Sweden!!
20. Who needs pick up lines? According to the American Ostrich Association, male ostriches bow their wings and flap them outward to display their full feathers or plumage in order to get a female's attention. May the best plumage win!
21. When they are ready to mate, the male's beak and shins will turn bright red. Sometimes, his neck will change to a red color to match. Females feathers will turn a silvery color when they are ready to mate.
22. Outrunning an Ostrich is impossible, but outliving one may be just as hard Ostriches can live to be 60-80+ years old.
Written by The Recipe Hunters:
Anthony Morano, edited by Leila Elamine