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There are a million reasons to love and think about ostriches. This large flightless bird amazes us in hundreds of ways every single day.
Do you know that some other flightless birds resemble Ostriches a lot? Well, these birds are just as worth-mentioning as Ostriches. Here’s are the birds that look like Ostriches;
Birds that Look Like Ostrich
- Emus
- Cassowary
- Rhea
- California Condor
- Kori Bustard
1. Emus
Out of all the big flightless birds, Emus resembles the ostriches the most. It is recognized as the world’s second-largest flightless bird; the first ostriches.
These second-largest flightless birds have been blessed with long necks and legs just like the ostriches.
What may or may not resemble ostriches is, they have stout bodies, grey, brown, to black soft feathers, striking blue-black bare skin around the face and neck, soft small bill, and sharp claws.
Emus are extremely hardy, they can go weeks without eating and drinking. However, the young emus are an exception.
The baby Emus need proper care until they reach three months of age. The adult Emus do not eat or drink less out of choice.
It is observed only when the food is not available or the said birds have to incubate the eggs.
Emus are categorized as omnivores. The birds that live in the wild prefer eating insects and arthropods like cockroaches, beetles, crickets, ladybirds, ants, spiders, and millipedes.
Moreover, if emus get a chance they do not mind eating fruits, vegetables, seeds, and grains like wheat, oats, and barley as well.
Whereas, the domestic and Emus living in the zoo mainly survive on hay, alfalfa pellets, fruits, and vegetables.
Emus and humans do not share a good bond. They chase and attack humans if they notice an unexpected movement or a piece of clothing.
Despite that, Emus can be tamed and kept as a pet. However, they would not be a “very” friendly pet as the dogs and cats are. Emus Can not fly like other fellow birds.
Emus are quite useful, they reward us with low-fat meat, feathers, and oil. The oil fetched from emus is not only used in therapeutic products, but cosmetics, and cosmetics as well.
Related How Much Does An Emu Cost?
2. Cassowary
Cassowaries are members of Casuariidae, a family of large birds. It is considered the world’s most dangerous flightless bird.
The said bird got titled so because provoked Cassowaries have caused serious injuries to not only animals but humans as well.
This deadliest member of the Casuariidae is roughly as tall as ostriches and emus.
To be more specific, the adult male gets 5 to 6 ft tall whereas the females are usually 6.6 ft tall.
The females are not only taller but they have been blessed with strikingly beautiful colors as well.
Cassowaries are frugivorous by nature and opportunistic omnivores if suitable food is not available.
They mainly derive energy and nutrients from snails, flowers, fungi, rats, fish, mice, and carrion.
When they do not find insects, snails, and small reptiles, and amphibians, they do not mind fulfilling their nutritional needs from fallen fruits.
Unlike the emus and other large edible birds, the meat obtained from cassowaries is quite tough.
It takes as much time as stones take to be finely cooked. They are hardly raised as a pet but often brought to be kept in zoos.
People from far-off places come to see this World’s most dangerous bird. They enjoy proking the bird and finding it helpless.
Ostriches and emus can also be dangerous. They are known for causing injuries but Cassowaries have killed several humans and animals.
Recently, a pet cassowary has clawed his keeper to death. What else can be a better example of cassowary’s aggressiveness? Read dangerous behavior of ostrich too
Related What Eats An Ostrich?
3. Rhea
Rhea is another large bird that often gets misunderstood as an ostrich. Rheas are the flightless birds that do not possess a kneel on their sternum bone.
Like Ostriches, Emus, and Cassowaries, Rhea eats a variety of plant matter, insects, small reptiles, and rodents.
When it comes to preference, Rheas either pick broad-leafed plants or choose to eat what deer or cattle normally do.
Rheas are believed to be native to South America. This bird is only found in the few continents of the said country.
Most of the Rhea population is surviving in chacos, woodlands, pampas, and grasslands of Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
Unlike Ostriches, Emus, and Cassowaries, Rheas are not “really” dangerous. Even though they hardly have attacked any human or animal yet they can not be domesticated.
Or maybe no attempts were made to domesticate these flightless birds.
Rheas are fairly large and heavy; this makes the bird flightless. Rheas might not take a flight but they can run super fast.
They have quite weak wings that are used to balance out body weight.
4. California Condor
California Condor is prized as North America’s largest land bird. These land birds are unique, it makes them super easy to recognize.
Large patches under the wings, bald head, grey legs, ivory-colored bill, brownish red eyes are the few marks of California Condor’s recognition.
California Condor is not as tall as Ostriches, Emus, or Cassowaries. Yet it looks like a smaller version of Ostriches.
Like most of the big birds, California Condor is living in the wild and captivity as well.
However, shrubland, coniferous forest, and oak savanna are the most suitable places for the California Condor to live.
What’s more impressive about California Condor is that these birds are capable of carrying weight and taking flight.
Moreover, the California Condor lives longer than most of the big birds. As per the legitimate reports, it is reported to live up to 60 years.
California Condor has a slightly different lifestyle than the usual birds. The habit of not building a nest is proof of that.
The California Condor has a habit of laying eggs in rock crevices, and large trees like redwoods and sequoias.
Unfortunately, this California Condor is now listed as endangered. Currently, around 400 California Condors are left in the world. The remaining population is also in a critical stage.
5. Kori Bustard
According to the US National Library of Medicine, Kori Bustard is a large bird that originates from Africa. It is probably the only largest and heaviest bird capable of taking flight.
This large bird capable of flight is found in the densely wooded areas of Namibia, Botswana, Angola, and Zambia.
Besides the densely wooded areas, it can also be seen in plains, lightly wooded savanna, arid plateaus, and semi-deserts.
Kori Bustard is large and heavy yet strong enough to take a flight. However, Kori Bustard prefers spending time on the ground than flying around in the clouds.
Like most birds, Kori Bustard is also categorized as an omnivore. They eat both plant matter and insects like grasshoppers, dung beetles, caterpillars, and locusts, etc.
Kori Bustard gets appreciated because of their appearance and their unique characteristics. For their unique appearance, Kori Bustard is featured in songs and often painted to admire God’s creation.
Resources
- Resource utilization by the Kori bustard in the Serengeti ecosystem
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6726138/
- California Condor Recovery Program
- https://www.fws.gov/cno/es/calcondor/condor.cfm
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