Top 11 Unbelievable Ostrich Fun Facts That Will Amaze You!

1. Big Eyeballs, Tiny Brains

A little birdie with a big-head complex: Ostriches possess eyeballs so enormous, they're larger than their brains and give them the title of the biggest-eyed land animals alive! These 5-centimeter-wide (about 2-inch-wide) peepers grant them remarkable visual powers, enabling them to survey their surroundings up to 2.2 miles (3.5 kilometers) away.
Source => adumusafaris.com

2. Flamingo or Speedy Gonzales?

Does a one-legged ostrich make a balancing act like a graceless flamingo? Feast your eyes on the towering, flightless wonder: Ostriches are not only the largest birds in the world, reaching up to 9 feet tall and weighing over 300 pounds, but also the fastest running bird, clocking in at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour.
Source => crfashionbook.com

Did you know emus swallow rocks to grind their diverse diet and take parenting roles just like their dinosaur ancestors? Discover more fascinating facts about these giant Australian birds!

=> Fun Facts about Emus

3. Bunker-Seeking Periscope

For all those ever-so-'ostrichricated' souls firmly convinced that an ostrich's neck doubles as a built-in bunker-seeking periscope: hold onto your feathers! Turns out, these feisty avian chappies don't bury their heads in the sand at all. They simply flop down and give the ol' terra firma a loving nuzzle when danger looms, relying on their incredible camouflaging skills and powerful eagle eyes to spot any shady characters in their midst.
Source => livescience.com

4. Red-Faced Casanovas

Looking for love in all the red places: Male ostriches know a thing or two about wooing their ladies! Armed with flashy new skin that turns bright red, bombastic booms that would outdo the most boastful bass, and sizzling dance moves that put John Travolta to shame, these Casanovas serenade the major hens of the flock. The queen hen has a flair for real estate, selecting the prime nesting spot and claiming first dibs on laying her eggs before allowing her sister-wives to join in on the eggy party.
Source => animals.mom.com

5. Monster Egg Communal Daycare

Picture this: an over-enthusiastic mother hen gives birth to a monstrosity of an egg, a real maternity marvel, and calls in the whole neighborhood to join in a colossal community daycare: Behold the ostrich egg! An impressive 6-inch diameter, 3-pound, 24 chicken egg equivalent behemoth, nestled in a communal nest that can hold up to 25 eggs at a time, being babysat by both male and female ostriches for a cozy 42 to 46 days before hatching.
Source => fantasticwildlife.com

6. DIY Food Processor Birds

Move over, gourmet food processor: the ostrich has its own internal KitchenAid standing by! These avian behemoths guzzle down stones for a little DIY action inside their souped-up stomachs: instead of the expected gizzard, ostriches use gastroliths, small rocks kept in a muscular part of their stomach, as nature's very own food grinders to break down and pulverize plant material. Who knew the bird world was this metal?
Source => ucmp.berkeley.edu

7. Flash with Feathers

If the Flash had feathers and answered to "Birdie", he'd be neck-and-neck with one of these strutting speedsters: Ostriches can run up to 43 miles per hour, maintain a 31 miles per hour pace over long distances, and use their wings as stabilizers – but not as deadly weapons – while sprinting away from danger with their powerful legs.
Source => nationalgeographic.com

8. Olympic Avian Sprinters

What do ostriches and Olympic sprinters have in common? They're both in a never-ending race for food and water, but the feathery marathoners might have a leg (or two) up on the competition: These incredible avian athletes boast top speeds of over 70 km/h and can maintain a steady 60 km/h, thanks to their uniquely designed legs, long tendons, and focused muscle mass strategize near the hip joint for maximum energy efficiency.
Source => scienceinschool.org

9. Eye-Candy Overlords

They say size matters, but ostriches clearly didn't get the memo when it came to their brains – though their ocular prowess might just put them in the eye-candy category: Ostriches possess the largest eyes of any land creature - each eye is about 5cm (2 inches) wide and beautifully adorned with long lashes, ironically taking up such a colossal space in their heads that their brains are actually smaller than the eyeballs themselves! Worry not, though, as their keen eyesight allows them to spot potential danger even from 3km (1.9 miles) away in broad daylight and a whopping 50 meters at night.
Source => birda.org

10. Bay Windows to the Soul

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but for ostriches, they're more like massive bay windows that happen to outsize their own brains: These bird-brains boast the largest eyes of any land animal, measuring a startling 5 cm (2 inches) across, which enables them to spot predators like lions from far off distances and maintain their status as the ultimate overlords of location awareness.
Source => kariega.co.za

11. Saddle up an Ostrich

If you've been "burdened" with the need to saddle up a steed and suddenly find yourself all out of horses, worry not: ostriches are capable of carrying humans for short distances! However, avoid getting carried away with your avian escapades; consistently loading them with heavy riders can damage their legs and using them for entertainment is less than eggscruciatingly ideal.
Source => earthlife.net