The Feathered Tank on Two Legs

You don’t need wings to own the savanna. Just ask the Ostrich—the world’s largest bird and Africa’s unflinching feathered force. Standing up to 2.6 m tall and weighing over 130 kg, this bird doesn’t fly, but it does run—at speeds up to 70 km/h.

With massive legs and a spring-loaded stride, ostriches can outrun most predators. Their powerful kicks are more than just a last resort—those claws can knock down jackals and even injure lions. But they’d rather run. And when they do, it’s pure poetry in motion.

Males are black-and-white showstoppers, while females rock a more practical brown-and-cream look. Ostriches are mainly herbivores, snacking on grass, seeds, and berries—but they’re not above crunching an insect or two when the mood strikes.

Nesting is a group effort. Several females lay their eggs in one shallow ground scrape, but only the dominant pair gets incubation duty—females during the day (camouflaged against the sand), and males at night (blending into the dark).

And no, they don’t bury their heads in the sand. That’s just a myth—probably started by predators that got too close.

From wide open plains to dry scrublands, the ostrich rules the ground like a bird built for battle.