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May 2: The Zoo will be closing early at 1pm, with last entry at 12pm for Feast with the Beasts. Read More
All Animals

Ostrich

Ostriches rise to the top of many charts: they are the largest and the heaviest birds in the world. They also have the biggest eyes relative to body size of any land animal – they are about two inches in diameter! Their enormous eggs have no equal; they weigh as much as two dozen chicken eggs.

Stable
Threatened
Endangered

Animal Facts

Scientific Name

Struthio camelus

Range

Open, semi-arid plains and open woodlands in sub-Saharan Africa

Location in the Zoo

African Forest

Cool Animal Fact

They will sometimes lie on the ground with their necks outstretched to avoid detection by a predator, but they do not “bury their heads in the sand” – it’s a myth.