Ground Birds - Part 1 By Saronkorn Seuyouyong At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Large birds that have lost the power to fly frequently have to rely on their speed to escape predators. One of the fastest running birds, and certainly the largest living bird, is the Ostrich Struthio camelus, which stands 7-8 feet (2.1-2.4 m) tall.]

Our picture shows a pair of Ostriches. The cock has the handsome black and white plumage, prized by African tribesmen.

Birds of Africa’s arid plains, Ostriches travel in small parties, sometimes in the company of antelopes and zebras whose movements disturb the small rodents, snakes and insects which make up a large part of their diet. The Ostrich, however, is notorious for its indiscriminate eating, and some extraordinary items has been found in its gut. Nails, coins. Bottle tops and rope have all,at times, been discovered.

The cock usually has three or four hens, which lay their eggs, the largest of any living bird, in a shallow scrape in the sand. Ostriches have a communal nesting arrangement, several hens laying their eggs in the same nest. The eggs are normally incubated by the cock.

Ostriches are wary, suspicious birds, ready to run at the slightest hint of danger. If cornered, they will defend themselves by lashing out with their powerful clawed feet.

Unlike the wary Ostrich, the flightless Emu Dromaius novaehollandiae is an inquisitive bird with an appetite for the local farmers’ crops which has made it extremely unpopular. Found only in Australia, Emus used to be hunted extensively for their meat, and their large untidy nests of grass and twigs were systematically raided when it was found that Emu eggs made delicious omelettes.

Emus are also fast-running birds, with drab brownish grey feathers which look like coarse hair. The chicks, however, are attractively striped in black and yellow, an effective camouflage as they move though the foliage on sunlit days. Bustards make good eating and in parts of the world they have been hunted almost to extinction. In some countries, however, they are now protected by law. Although Africa is the bustards’ stronghold, there are a few species in Europe and Asia, among them the resplendent Great Bustard, famous for its spectacular courtship display. There is also an Australian species which is known locally as the ‘wild turkey’, despite the fact that bustards and turkeys are not related.

Like all bustards, Africa’s handsome Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori nests on the ground. Bustards are powerful fliers and when they take to the air they fly like cranes with their necks stretched out and their legs trailing behind. However, they are more often seen on the ground, roaming about the grassy plains in small family parties.

Bustards prefer a vegetarian diet, but they will sometimes eat small mammals and throughout their lives consume vast quantities of insects, especially locusts. Their addiction to locusts puts them strongly on the side of the farmers.

Well adapted to its life on the South African veldt, the Kori is a quiet, rather sedate bird, except in the mating season when the cock indulges in fierce sparring battles as he fights off contenders for the hen of his choice. His display is very impressive as he inflates his breast and neck feathers and spreads out his wings until he looks almost twice his normal size. The hen makes little or no pretence at providing a nest but lays her eggs almost always straight onto the ground.

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