“Pic of the Week”, Oct. 25, 2013. Ostriches, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania

1999 Tanzania 044.  Ngorongoro Crater.  Ostrich
Ostriches are odd creatures.  They are the tallest birds in the world -- about the height of a man (2 m) -- have larger eyes than any other land animal, and proportionately an itsy bitsy brain.  They are flightless but are exceptionally good runners, known to have burst speeds up to 70 km/h and sustained running speeds of 50 km/h.  While they look awkward and vulnerable, their powerful legs legs make good weapons easily capable of killing a man or gutting a lion. Ostriches are mostly found on the African Savannah and live in small herds of less than a dozen birds, like you see in this photo.  Males have the dark plumage and females are a drab gray-brown color.  It's said

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