OSTRICHES No heads in the sand!
“The ostrich is one of a group of species known as ‘ratites’, which are large flightless birds that evolved on the Gondwana super-continent.”
Ostriches occur widely in the drier areas of Africa. Their favoured habitats are open savanna woodlands or shrublands, and arid or semi-arid grasslands. They are also found in sparsely vegetated desert plains.
Two species are recognised:
❶ The Somali ostrich occurs in the horn of Africa in Ethiopia and Somalia.
❷ The common ostrich occurs in two separate regions, namely the southern savannas and the northern Sahel, which are separated by the wetter equatorial forests.
Three subspecies of the common ostrich are recognised:
❶ The Southern African ostrich occurs south of the Cunene and Zambezi Rivers, and is the one to be found in the Kruger National Park.
The other two subspecies occur in North Africa:
❷ The one
