Home Oral cavity Rhea ostrich: description and photo, where it lives, features and external characteristics. Let's get to know our American friend - the ostrich Nandu.

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Rhea ostrich: description and photo, where it lives, features and external characteristics. Let's get to know our American friend - the ostrich Nandu.

The natural habitat of the American ostrich, the largest representative of its species, is South America. It is often confused with because they are very similar. The main differences between the two breeds are the number of toes on the paw and the plumage in the neck area.

The South American ostrich, according to archaeological excavations, was the first bird from its order to appear on Earth. For a long time, scientists could not understand to which zoological family the birds should be classified. There is still no consensus. Some believe that the rhea ostrich is the main representative of ostrich-like animals, others that it acquired ostrich-like features during the course of evolution, and still others classify it as a hidden-tailed species.

Flightless inhabitants of savannahs have been known to people since the 16th century. They were originally domesticated by the Indians, who used them for meat and feathers. In 1884, a description was given to the rhea order, and in 1849, the rhea family appeared, consisting of 2 species: the northern ostrich and the small one. Both are on the verge of extinction due to active hunting.

Description of the breed

The rhea ostrich is considered one of the largest birds in the world due to its large size. His height reaches 270 cm, weight - 175 kg, step - 4 m. He quickly accelerates to 60 km/h, without slowing down even when cornering.

Characteristic appearance Rhea-shaped:

Protruding eyes;
Sexual dimorphism is expressed by the black body feathers of males;
Long neck covered with feathers, unlike the African ostrich;
Small head;
Oval body;
Strong legs with 3 toes each.

They live in flocks of up to 30 individuals, and during the mating season they split into pairs. Older individuals prefer a separate lifestyle. They coexist with sheep, deer, and cows.

While the flock is sleeping, one ostrich guards them in order to warn them of danger in time. At night, birds sleep, waking up every 15-20 minutes. They extend their long necks onto the sand or lay their heads on their bodies.

They run actively using their wings, which allows them to accelerate and maintain balance.

They defend themselves from enemies with sharp claws. One strong blow from a paw can kill a lion.

Predators are scared away by strongly stretching their necks, opening their beaks and hissing loudly. The sounds produced are similar to the growling of a large animal. They have strong eyesight and hearing, so they are rarely taken by surprise.

If necessary, they can pretend to be dead to save the young, but if the danger persists, they start running. The male runs ahead of the entire flock, moving along a curve.

Ostrich from South America easily crosses a body of water with a strong current. It loves water, but can go without it for a very long time, getting moisture from plants. He sleeps during the day, especially if the weather is too hot, and wakes up in the evening when it gets cooler.

Interestingly, the Indians invented a special device for hunting fast birds - the bolas. It consisted of belts and fabric.

Habitat

The South American ostrich prefers a subtropical climate. The most populated places of distribution are Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil. Settles in savannas, highlands and lowlands.

It is interesting that the smaller the bird, the higher the altitude above sea level it builds a nest.

In 1998, several American ostriches escaped from a farm in Lübeck because the enclosures were fragile and the fence was too low. As a result, the rheas were freed, easily adapting to new conditions. Nowadays exotic birds can be found even in Germany.

IN natural environment In the habitat of ostriches, their number is decreasing due to their love of eating grain and herbs on farmland. For the owner, this threatens hungry livestock, so he installs a fence with barbed wire. Unsmart ostriches die from this. But there are examples of peaceful coexistence between birds and humans. So in Argentina, farmers noticed that they could be used as shepherds for geese and sheep.

In captivity they require a lot of space. It is important to develop an area for walking, space for enclosures and water supply systems, and areas for walking young animals.

Reproduction

Reproduction begins when the flock breaks up. Males perform a courtship dance, kneeling down, uttering a long cry “na-a-ndu” and straightening their feathers.

It is believed that they received their name precisely because of this peculiarity of reproduction - a kind of mating cry that resembles the sounds of cats.

The birds are polygamous - in a flock during the breeding season, there are 5-7 females per 1 male. The female lays eggs, and after laying the eggs, the males incubate them for 2 months. If they were taken outside the nest, a caring father will bring them back. During the brooding period, the female brings food to the head of the family.

25-30 chicks are born at the same time. They grow quickly and already weigh 500 g at birth. They immediately have strong vision and hearing, and can move independently. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 3 years. Young animals often do not survive even to a year due to poachers.

There are several breeding options at home:

When parents are kept in open pens or insulated rooms for good egg production. All the eggs are taken from the female and transferred to the incubator. Interestingly, the more often you collect eggs, the more often they will appear. It is optimal to collect twice a day;
Keep parents in closed enclosures, but allow them to walk all year round. Allow the male to incubate the eggs, but care for the young independently, protecting them from predators. In captivity, it is impossible to ensure that an individual hatches more than 20 eggs.

In both cases, you can give some of the eggs to the bird to hatch, and collect some for the incubator. They are very useful for the human body, they replace 10 chicken eggs. Recommended for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

When ostriches prepare for laying on their own, they build nests in depressions and cover them with grass. They are completely sterile just now, but they lose these properties as they cool.

Bacteria easily penetrate the shell, so they should not be washed, even if they are dirty.

They weigh 600-650 g.

The yolk is located strictly in the center and consists of light and dark layers. Its rich color indicates that the female’s diet contains too much vitamin A. The eggshells are light yellow. Interestingly, the eggs of an immature female are empty.

Nutrition

American ostriches feed on carrion, reptiles, fruits, broad-leaved plants, roots, and small vertebrates. Some claim that ostriches can kill venomous snakes, but this has not been scientifically proven.

In captivity and wildlife The diet of birds consists of 80% plant foods. Occasionally they swallow small stones and sand so that food is better digested.

They love to feast on locusts. There were times when they were so full that they could not run. At home, they are fed oats, wheat, and barley. In winter, they provide hay, raw and boiled potato skins, carrots, and beets. Young animals are fed animal feed with a high protein content, curdled milk, cottage cheese, fish, boiled chicken eggs.

In difficult conditions, the food of birds is reduced to the waste of artiodactyls.

Ostriches are the largest birds in the world, their height can reach 270 cm and weight 175 kg. In private farming, Nandas are usually grown for their eggs, feathers and meat, which is considered dietary.

Ostrich Nandu - flightless bird order of rheas, living mainly in South America. Their appearance hints at a relationship with the African ostrich, but scientists do not yet have accurate information on this matter.

African ostriches and rheas have quite a lot of differences. The South American bird usually does not reach more than 1.4 meters in height and looks twice as small, and weighs only about 40 kg.

Unlike its African counterpart, Nandu's neck is covered with feathers, and there are three toes, while the bird from Africa has only two. All flightless birds use their wings to maintain balance when running: they can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Habitat

These ostriches like habitats such as savannas, which is why they are found in the Patagonian lowlands and in the Andean mountain plateaus. Their main habitat: Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Brazil.

In places below, where there is a warm climate, Nandu, and Darwin's Nandu has settled down at altitudes up to 4500 above sea level.

In 1990, in north-eastern Germany, a number of winged birds of this species escaped from an ostrich farm in Lubeck. The South American ostrich was able to adapt well to the climate and develop its population. Now their number includes about one hundred individuals.

Ostrich breeders in Russia most often breed the African ostrich, but keeping the Nandu is almost no different. Their cultivation is in no way inferior in complexity to the cultivation of any poultry.

availability of land, taking into account the size of the bird;
availability of territory suitable for pasture;
nest sites and enclosures;
availability of water supply;
young birds.

To raise poultry on your own farm in winter, you will need to build a warm room, and in summer, Nanda can be kept in open pens. It is advisable to build a poultry house in well-lit areas.

The premises for ostriches should be as spacious, lighted and clean as possible, but special attention should be paid to the climate in Nandu’s housing. Ostriches are very hardy and strong birds, but exposure to the cold can kill them.

Producing young poultry can be done in several ways:

The parents are kept in warm houses or in open pens, depending on the season. Eggs are constantly removed from the nest for incubation, which stimulates egg laying. The chicks are raised without parents. In this way, up to 40 eggs are obtained from each female.
Parents are kept in closed poultry houses with extensive walking all year round. The female is left to incubate the eggs. In this case, human concern is limited to protecting the young from wild animals. Despite the advantages of saving on egg incubation, there is a big disadvantage - the female will be able to hatch no more than 15-20 eggs.
Mixed method. In this option, a certain number of eggs are left to be incubated by the parents, while the rest are hatched by incubation.

Diet

An ostrich from South America requires the most varied diet for a normal life. The main food for ostriches is plant foods.

Animal and mineral feed are added to the diet, but in smaller doses:

Stern plant origin- the main source of carbohydrates and fiber. For feeding you can use: corn, wheat, barley and oats.
Juicy feed. They contain a lot of water and are easily digested. It is useful to include vitamin hay from clover and other meadow grasses in your diet.
Root tubers are a source of vitamins and minerals for winter and spring feeding. Ostriches can be given: raw or boiled potato tubers, beets and carrots.
Animal feed. They are used to feed ostrich chicks as they contain large amounts of protein. You cannot use milk, but you can give yogurt or cottage cheese. There is a lot of protein in fish and eggs.

Ostriches are given fresh water every morning, changing it as it gets dirty.

Productive Features

Sexual maturity in male Nandus occurs at 3.5 years, and in females at 2-3 years. In more early age females may begin to lay “empty” eggs. For one male Nanda there should be 3-5 females.

When forming families, it is very convenient to keep ostriches of the first year separately from the second and third years of laying. This is done to make it easier to select the best individuals for breeding in the fall. In the case of keeping birds together, you have to mark each individual by entering information in a special journal.

Video about how a little ostrich is helped to hatch from an egg.

For breeding, select healthy, fully feathered individuals without defects. When pairing, it is better for the male to be older than the females entrusted to him. Two days before transferring to the fowl room, the birds are given food with a high content of vitamins.

Nandu eggs

In early spring, signs of ostrich courtship can already be seen in the poultry house. The male in every possible way pursues the females, who begin to lay eggs. When birds are moved to open pens, egg laying becomes intensified.

The Nandu's nest is a hole covered with grass, which is guarded by the male. A freshly laid egg is always sterile, but as it cools down, it loses this property and through the pores in the shell can become infected with harmful bacteria. That's why Special attention pay attention to keeping the egg laying area clean.

It is better to collect eggs at least twice a day - this stimulates egg production. Sometimes the collected egg may turn out to be dirty, but under no circumstances should you wash it, as there is a high chance of infection getting into the pores of the shell.

The average weight of an egg laid by a female Nandu ostrich is 620 grams; the yolk in it is in the center and consists of alternating dark and light layers enclosed in one shell. The intense color of the egg yolk indicates a high content of vitamin A in the bird’s diet.

The character and behavior of ostriches in life

Rheas lead an active lifestyle mainly during the day, and go to bed in the evening. Usually they do not live in large groups 5-30 individuals, including males, females and young animals. When mating season arrives, the group breaks up and each male settles into his own habitat.

Rheas always guard their personal space and, if a group member gets too close, they will crane their necks and scream in warning.

In the Pampas steppes, Nandus often form groups with guanacos, deer and vicuñas, and sometimes even cows and sheep. Such mixing is mutually beneficial and helps to survive in nature.

The American rhea ostrich is in many ways similar to its African relative, although according to the classification it belongs to a completely different family. It is distinguished by its more modest size, some habits and habitat. In the wild, the rhea ostrich lives in Latin America (Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Chile). There are 2 types of ostriches, they differ in their habitat. The northern rhea prefers areas with warm climates, while the Darwin ostrich loves mountainous areas. It is found at altitudes of at least 4,500 m above sea level.

The American ostrich rhea is similar in many ways to its African relative

Interestingly, the rhea ostrich today is found in many regions mainly in a semi-domesticated state. Since ancient times, South American Indians have hunted these birds for meat. It is curious that a throwing weapon was used for hunting - a bolas, that is, a belt to the ends of which stone balls were tied. The American ostrich was valued because its meat and eggs were used for food, various products were made from its skin, and decorations were made from its feathers. About 150 years ago, rhea feathers were even exported to Europe: they were used to make ladies' fans and trim for hats.

Currently, the rhea ostrich's habitat has shrunk. The population was damaged by both hunters and farmers, who exterminated them, as these birds trample grain in the fields or grass intended for livestock feed. This has led to the fact that these birds are increasingly found only on farms.

Description of the species

Ostriches are different large sizes It’s not for nothing that they are called the largest birds on Earth. Exist different types ostriches. If representatives of the African variety can grow up to 270 cm in height, and they weigh about 175 kg, then the American ostrich is about half that size. It only grows to 140 cm and weighs about 40 kg. He has a small head, a long neck covered with feathers, and thin legs. Only the rhea has 3 toes on each foot, while its African relative has only 2.

This appearance also affects the lifestyle that rheas lead. They can't fly, but they run fast. This ostrich needs its wings to maintain balance when running. The spread wings act as a kind of sail. At the end of each wing there is a sharp claw, and the ostrich can use it as a weapon.

It is interesting that the rhea ostrich today is found in many regions mainly in a semi-domesticated state

Some scientists believe that the South American ostrich is the first flightless bird, and that other species descended from it. The fact is that claws are a feature that was present in the ancestors of all types of ostriches who lived in the Paleocene era. But it was transmitted only to the rhea.

Although this species of ostrich does not run as fast as the “African” ones, its representatives can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h. Birds living in the wild are considered good swimmers who can cross rivers.

Gallery: ostrich rhea (25 photos)

Common Rhea (video)

Habits of South American Birds

These birds live in fairly large groups. They can graze with sheep or cows. Rheas love water and feel great in it. If there is no refreshing pond nearby, then during the day these birds will sleep in a cool place and stay awake at night.

The rhea bird is a polygamous creature. In a herd, there can be up to 7 females per 1 male. However, ostriches remain caring fathers. Females only lay eggs, and males hatch them, and they are also responsible for raising the brood.

Interestingly, these birds also sleep in groups. There is always a “man on duty” in the herd who will protect the peace of the rest of his relatives.

These birds live in groups, their tactics allow them to jointly protect the young from attacks by predators. Several birds pretend to be wounded or even dead, diverting the attention of the predator to themselves, which should give the babies the opportunity to escape. Rheas are able to defend themselves from predators. To do this, they use their strong beak and claws; in addition, the blows of the powerful paws of these birds can cause considerable damage to the enemy.

Like all other types of ostriches, rheas love a varied diet. In the wild, they prefer plant foods, but food of animal origin and mineral supplements also occupy a certain place in their diet. The main source of carbohydrates is cereals (it’s not for nothing that farmers continue to hunt these birds). In addition, ostriches living in the wild love various meadow grasses. As for food of animal origin, locusts are considered the favorite delicacy of these birds.

Some scientists believe that the South American ostrich is the first flightless bird, and other species descended from it

Rhea breeding

The South American ostrich generally requires the same conditions as. In order for him to live comfortably, he needs a spacious area. This may be a large pasture appropriate to the size of these birds. Enclosures need to be built on the site. Since most rheas are still heat-loving birds, it is better for them to live in a heated room in winter, but in summer open pens are suitable for them. It is better to build a building for a poultry house in a well-lit area. It is also important to have a water supply and arrange nests and enclosures.

Birds are fed approximately the same as they eat in the wild. It is recommended to feed corn, oats, barley, wheat, etc. from cereals. Rough feed requires hay. Among fresh herbs, rheas especially love clover. You can also give root vegetables. They will be an excellent source of vitamins and minerals during the winter. American ostriches are given potatoes both raw and boiled. You can periodically offer beets or carrots.

Adults are rarely given food of animal origin. But for complementary feeding of young animals, they are necessary because they contain essential protein. Often ostriches are fed crushed chicken eggs and even boiled fish. These birds cannot be given milk, but dairy products like cottage cheese is given already on the 2-3rd day of life. A lot of time and attention is paid to feeding the young.

Reproduction of rhea

In females of this species puberty occurs quite late - at 2 years, but even more often by 3 years. In males, maturity occurs at 3.5 years. There is no need to rush things. Females that are too young will lay empty eggs. There is a theory associated with the mating displays of adults as to why the birds received such a name. Allegedly, the female during this period makes sounds reminiscent of the cry of “rhea.” Whether this is true or not, the owner of the poultry house will have the opportunity to test the theory in practice. These birds are quite noisy, this should be remembered when planning to start an ostrich farm on your farm, although with potentially high profits this scares off few.

The owners will have to take care of forming families based on age. Birds in the first, second and third years of laying should be kept separately to make it easier to select individuals for breeding in the fall. If it is not possible to organize such separate accommodation, then you will have to mark the birds, so this will be more hassle.

Experts emphasize that there are several ways to obtain young animals. In the first case, adults are kept in an open pen or room. After the female lays eggs, they are immediately selected for incubation, and in the future the birds can be raised without the participation of parents. With this approach, the owner can receive up to 40 eggs from each female within a year. But if you put the parents in a closed poultry house, leaving the eggs for the ostrich to hatch, then objective reasons their number will be less - up to 20 eggs. So the savings from no incubator costs simply result in reduced productivity. There is a third method, which is called combined, when some of the eggs are incubated by the female, and some are evaporated in an incubator.

In order for the female to lay and hatch eggs, you need to make a comfortable nest for her. In the wild, these birds simply make a hole in the ground and cover it with grass (this nest is usually guarded by the male). Interestingly, newly laid eggs are always sterile if they come from healthy parents. But as they cool, they lose this property, so bacteria can penetrate the shell. But under no circumstances should you wash it. You just need to ensure that the nest and enclosure are as clean as possible.

Europeans saw it at the very beginning of the 16th century. And the first description of these creatures in literature dates back to 1553, when the Spanish explorer, traveler and priest Pedro Cieza de Leon in the first part of his book “Chronicles of Peru”.

Despite the significant external similarity African ostriches rhea, the degree of their relationship still causes controversy in scientific circles, since in addition to similarities, there are plenty of differences between these birds.

Description and features of the ostrich rhea

Unlike their African relatives, ostrich rhea in the photo - and the television camera reacts quite calmly, does not try to hide or run away. If this one doesn’t like something, then the rhea emits a guttural cry, very reminiscent in sound of the growl of a large predator, such as a lion or puma, and unless you see that this sound is made by an ostrich, it is simply impossible to determine whether it belongs to a bird’s throat.

The bird can also attack someone who comes too close, spreading its wings, each of which has a sharp claw, advancing towards the potential enemy and hissing threateningly.

Sizes of the ostrich rhea much less than . The growth of the largest individuals reaches only one and a half meters. The weight of South American ostriches is also significantly less than that of African beauties. An ordinary rhea weighs 30-40 kg, and the Darwinian rhea weighed even less - 15-20 kg.

According to the descriptions of the first Portuguese and Spanish explorers, these were domesticated by the Indians. Moreover, not only in our usual understanding of poultry.

Rheas not only provided people with meat. Eggs and feathers for making jewelry, they acted as dogs, performing guard and possibly hunting and fishing functions. These birds are excellent swimmers; even wide, fast-flowing rivers do not frighten them.

For some time the population was under threat due to the high popularity of rhea hunting. However, now the situation has improved, and the popularity among owners of ostrich farms is much higher than their African relatives.

Rhea ostrich lifestyle and habitat

They can feast on carrion and the waste of artiodactyls. There is an opinion that rheas are capable of hunting and, when tamed, protecting human habitation from them. But scientific evidence no to this.

Although these birds are excellent swimmers who love to frolic in the water and catch a few fish, they can do without enough water to drink for a long time. Like others, ostriches periodically swallow gastroliths and small pebbles, which help them digest food.

Reproduction and life expectancy of the rhea ostrich

During the mating season, rheas exhibit polygamy. The flock is divided into groups of one male and 4-7 females and retires to its own “secluded” place. Ostrich rhea egg equal to about four dozen chicken eggs, and the shell is so strong that it is used for various crafts that are sold to tourists as souvenirs. According to the records of European researchers, in Indian tribes, the shells of these eggs were used as utensils.

Females lay eggs in a common nest; in general, the clutch contains from 10 to 35 eggs, and the male incubates them. Incubation lasts on average a couple of months, all this time ostrich rhea feeding what his girlfriends bring him. When the chicks hatch, she takes care of them, feeds them and walks them. However, most babies do not live to see a year due to various reasons, not the least of which is hunting.

Although hunting rheas is prohibited in most countries where they live, these bans do not stop poachers. Sexual maturity in females occurs at 2.5-3 years, and in males at 3.5-4. These live on average from 35 to 45 years, under favorable conditions, unlike their African relatives, who live up to 70.

Interesting facts about the ostrich rhea

Speaking about the ostrich rhea, one cannot fail to mention where this interesting name came from. During the mating season, these birds exchange calls in which the consonance “nandu” clearly sounds, which first became their nickname, and then their official name.

Today science knows two species of these wonderful birds:

common or northern rhea, scientific name - Rhea americana;
Small rhea or Darwin, scientific name - Rhea pennata.

According to zoological classifications, rheas, like , and emus, are not ostriches. These birds were allocated to a separate order - rheas in 1884, and in 1849 the rhea family was defined, limited to two species of South American ostriches.

The oldest excavated fossils resembling modern rheas are 68 million years old, meaning there is every reason to believe that such birds lived on earth during the Paleocene period and saw dinosaurs.

Ostriches are large birds that cannot fly, but move faster than a car. The different types of ostriches are: African ostrich, American ostrich Nandu and Australian ostrich Emu. The article provides descriptions of each species and provides information about the economic purpose of each bird.

Characteristics of the African ostrich

Description of the species

According to the current classification, the African ostrich is the only representative of the ostrich family. Other species of ostriches (Nandu and Emu) are considered only its closest relatives. The African ostrich is the largest in the world. The weight of the bird can reach 150 kg, and its height is 270 cm.

Compared to the powerful body, the bird's head is small. The neck is long and flexible, the eyes are bulging with long eyelashes. Birds have two powerful toes on each foot. One of them has a claw. One kick from a bird is enough to injure or even kill a lion.

Males are distinguished from females by the presence of black wings.

Ostriches cannot fly, but they run very fast. The bird's stride length is 4 m. A young ostrich can accelerate to 50 km/h. An adult reaches speeds of up to 70 km/h. Birds do not slow down when turning.

Ostriches hardly sleep. At night, they can take a 15-minute nap several times. To do this, they lower their head along the body or stretch it out on the sand in front of them. During such a break, the bird is protected by relatives.

Place of distribution

The African ostrich and its Somali subspecies live in savannas and deserts beyond the equatorial forests. Birds graze in the same territory as antelopes and zebras. They move in with their neighbors and warn them of danger, as they are the first to notice it thanks to their vigilance and tall stature.

The list of products from the ostrich diet is small:

flowers;
seeds;
fruit;
insects;
reptiles;
rodents;
carrion.

Mostly babies eat animal food; adults prefer plant foods. Since the bird does not have teeth, the food it eats is ground into the stomach by eating pebbles and pieces of wood.

Birds can drink salt water or not drink water at all, eating special roots.

Reproduction

The ostrich is a polygamous animal. They gather in groups of 3-5 individuals, which are led by a single male. Such groups gather after the male performs a mating dance: standing on his knees, he flaps his wings and hits his head on his back, the dance is accompanied by screams and hisses; during the ritual, the wings can change color, becoming brighter.

The harem is headed by dominant individuals of both sexes, who participate in the reproduction of other groups. The dominant female incubates the chicks of all other females.

During nesting, birds gather in large groups of 30 or more individuals. The male digs a nest 30-60 cm deep. Ostrich eggs are pale yellow in color and large in size - 21 cm in length and 2 kg in weight. A clutch can contain from 15 to 60 eggs. During daylight hours the female sits on the eggs, and at night the male sits on the eggs. The dominant female lays her eggs in the middle, where it is warmest and safest. Some of the chicks die. The incubation period is 40 days.

Newborns weigh approximately 1 kg, have hearing, vision and are able to move independently. The cubs develop quickly; by 4 months the weight increases to 20 kg. Up to a year old, all young animals look the same, and only in the second year of life do males acquire black wings. Birds can participate in breeding from the age of 3 years. The life expectancy of the African ostrich is on average 75 years.

African ostrich breeding

The bird is of great economic importance, so hunting for this family is very popular. Today it has become popular and profitable to breed African birds at home, nature reserves and zoos, so extinction this species not a threat.

Breeding goals of the African species:

Feathers are used to decorate interiors and clothing.
Ostrich leather is used in the production of clothing, shoes and accessories. Ostrich leather is very durable.
Tasty and healthy ostrich meat is eaten.
Eggs are also very nutritious and are used as food.