鴕鳥目 Struthioniformes

鴕鳥目 Struthioniformes，來自拉丁文的 strūthiō (鴕鳥) 和拉丁文的 -fōrmis (形狀)，說明這些動物都是鴕鳥。 Struthioniformes, from Latin strūthiō (“ostrich”) and Latin -fōrmis (“-shaped”), in reference to the fact that these animals are ostriches.

種的俗名 Common names of members

鴕鳥 Ostrich.

分佈 Distribution

撒哈拉以南非洲。

Sub-Saharan Africa.

體型 Size

牠們有很長的脖子和腿，在2.1米到2.75米高之間，並且100公斤到130公斤重之間。

They have long necks and legs, are between 2.1 and 2.75 meters tall, and can weigh between 100 and 130 kg.

形態 Morphology

成年雄性的羽毛主要是黑色的，尾巴和初級羽毛是白色的。另一方面，一個亞種有淺黃色的尾巴。雌性和有年雄性的顏色為白色和灰棕色。雄性和雌性的頭部及頸部幾乎沒有羽絨覆蓋。牠們擁有巨大的橙色喙和眼睛。

Adult males have predominantly black feathers with a white tail and primaries. On the other hand, one subspecies has buff tails. Females and juvenile males are white and grayish-brown in color. Both the male and female have almost no down covering on their heads and necks. Their enormous orange bills and eyes are striking.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

牠們是陸生動物，棲息在開闊地乾旱和半乾旱地區，例如赤道森林區的北部和南部、稀樹草原和薩赫爾地區。

They are terrestrial, inhabiting open arid and semi-arid habitats such as savannas and the Sahel, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone.

食性 Diet

主要食物是種子、灌木、草、水果及花。有時牠們也會捕食小型爬行動物如蜥蜴、昆蟲如蝗蟲，以及肉食性掠食者留下的動物屍體。

Their primary food sources are seeds, bushes, grass, fruit, and flowers. Occasionally, they also consume tiny reptiles like lizards, insects like locusts, and animal carcasses left behind by carnivorous predators.

繁殖 Reproduction

三月或四月是交配季節的開始，直到九月前結束。交配過程存在地區差異。通常，有領地意識的雄性會透過伸出脖子來保護自己的領地和兩到七隻母鳥的後宮。如果牠們交配成功，牠們可能會與附近的群體雌性建立配對關係，但牠們只會與「主要」雌性交配。雄性會挖掘一個有30厘米到60厘米深和3米寬的孤立及樸素的坑，而雌性將其受精卵產在裏面。當需要覆蓋卵以進行孵化時，「主要」雌性首先將卵產下，並從較弱的雌性種清楚多餘的卵，留下大約20個。

March or April marks the start of the mating season, which finishes before September. There are regional variations in the mating process. Usually, territorial males defend their territory and harem of two to seven hens by extending their necks. If they are successful in mating, they may create a pair bond with other females in the vicinity, but they will only mate with a 'major' female. The male excavates a solitary, unadorned pit that is between 30 and 60 centimeters deep and 3 meters broad, where the female deposits her fertilized eggs. When it is time to cover the eggs for incubation, the dominant female deposits them first and removes any surplus eggs from the weaker females, usually leaving around 20.