The Maasai Ostrich
The Maasai Ostrich : The fastest Bird Specie in Kenya : The ostrich is the largest living bird specie in Kenya, the ostrich is far too heavy to fly, but it’s considered as the fastest bird specie or the animal specie on the two legs and can sprint at over 70km/hr. while covering up to 5 meters in a single stride, on your safari to Kenya never miss seeing the Kenya’s fastest bird species. The Ostrich this is a flightless bird specie called the ratites with the biggest eye of any animal. The ostrich can grow to 2.8 meters tall and can weigh between 63 to 145 kilograms and where by the male are heavier than the female ostriches. A male weighing between 2.1 to 2.8 meters tall and female ranges between 1.7 to 2.0 meters and an ostrich can live up to 40 to 45 years.
Like the human beings the ostriches walk and run on its two legs though they can reach speeds of up to 50km per hour which is twice the speed of the fastest human, though it is said that the ostriches have a springs in their step, the birds generate over twice as much power from the recoil of the elastic energy stored in the tendons than the human beings, so therefore the ostriches need less muscle power to run much faster.
The ostriches belong to the Struthionide family, these are bird species that live in the herds that consist of one male, and the hens and plus their off springs, during the rainless season and the breeding periods, they live in the herds of up to fifty birds that travel together, though they spend wet season in the pairs or alone, and during the breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods they live in the nomadic herds of five to 50 birds led by a top hen, that often travel together with other grazing animals like the zebras, antelopes and among others, then the terrestrial fights between the males and females usually last just minutes though these bird species can easily cause death through banging their heads into the opponents. Ostriches the most stunning and amazing fastest animals which needs to be witnessed by a tourist on a Kenya Safari tour .
The ostriches are the omnivorous animal species that is they feed on the both plants and animals, mainly they do feed on the leaves, grass, flowers, roots, berries, reptiles insects, and some mammals, the ostriches do bury their heads in the ground to eat the bugs from the soil without forgetting the small stones to grind its food for the case of the ostrich it can carries a kilogram of the stones. That’s how the ostrich survives still the ostrich can spend good days minus taking the drinking water in fact it uses the water from the moisture of the ingested plants, leaves, roots, insects and also using the metabolic water but it enjoys the liquid water and frequently take baths where ever it is available.
The ostrich protects its self from its predators due to the fact that the ostrich has much power and the sheer size, the ostrich has got the limited predators though the present predators of the ostrich includes the lions, hyenas, cheetahs, crocodiles and humans who hunt the ostriches for meat. But once the ostrich hears or gets to know about its predator it runs away immediately though being long, and it has the sturdy legs which acts like the greatest weapons to kill the predators with the impressive powerful kick while using the forward kick which most of the predators do fear, with the help of their toes that are specifically adapted for their fast running.
On a safari to Kenya plan, organize and visit the Maasai Ostrich farm this is the Kenya’s largest ostrich farm that is situated only 45 kilometers outside Nairobi city, the ostriches in the Maasai ostrich farm are domesticated and they over 700 birds with two breeds that is somali or the blue neck ostrich and the Maasai ostrich. The ostriches provides the tourists with the great opportunity to ride that largest bird species.
Maasai Ostrich is also known as the pink-necked ostrich for its pink neck and it’s also known as the East African ostrich. Somali ostrich has blue neck, they are also called the blue-necked ostrich.
