Common ostrich
Scientific name: Struthio camelus Linnaeus, 1758
Overview
The common ostrich, or simply ostrich, is a species of flightless bird native to certain areas of Africa and is the largest living species of bird. The common ostrich is one of two extant species of ostriches, the only living members of the genus Struthio in the ratite group of birds. The other is the Somali ostrich, which has been recognised as a distinct species by BirdLife International since 2014, having been previously considered a distinctive subspecies of ostrich.
From the Wikipedia article “Common ostrich”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Conservation status
Least concern on the IUCN Red List, as recorded on Wikidata, citing The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021.3.
Size and lifespan
| Measurement | Value |
|---|---|
| Birth weight | 1.5 kg |
| Adult weight (male) | 115 kg |
| Adult weight (female) | 100 kg |
Source: Wikidata, citing “AVIAN BODY SIZES IN RELATION TO FECUNDITY, MATING SYSTEM, DISPLAY BEHAVIOR, AND RESOURCE SHARING”, article by Terje Lislevand et al published June 2007 in Ecology.
Where it lives
The Catalogue of Life records it in: Africa.
Common names
Also known in English as Ostrich.
Names in other languages (14)
- Arabic
- نعامة شائعة
- Bengali
- উটপাখি
- Chinese
- 鸵鸟
- French
- autruche d'Afrique
- German
- Afrikanischer Strauß, Strauß
- Hindi
- शुतुरमुर्ग
- Indonesian
- Burung unta
- Japanese
- ダチョウ
- Persian
- شترمرغ
- Portuguese
- avestruz, avestruz-comum
- Russian
- Африканский страус, страус
- Spanish
- Avestruz común
- Turkish
- Deve kuşu
- Urdu
- شترمرغ
Sources
-
Catalogue of Life — scientific name, classification, common names and range.
Version 2026-09-11, CC BY 4.0.
This species in the Catalogue of Life.
Citation
Bánki, O., Roskov, Y., Döring, M., Ower, G., Hernández Robles, D. R., Plata Corredor, C. A., Stjernegaard Jeppesen, T., Örn, A., Pape, T., Hobern, D., Garnett, S., Little, H., DeWalt, R. E., Miller, J., Orrell, T., Aalbu, R., Abbott, J., Aedo, C., Aescht, E., et al. (2026). Catalogue of Life (Version 2026-09-11). Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgz5n Source database: The Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
- GBIF — species page and recorded occurrences.
- Wikidata — conservation status, measurements, names in other languages. Q17592, CC0 1.0.
- Wikipedia — overview, from the article “Common ostrich”, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Photo — Lip Kee from Singapore, Republic of Singapore, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
- Range map — Struthio_camelus_Distribution_updated.png: en:User:Renato Caniatti Africa_location_map.svg: Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) derivative work: Begoon, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. File page.
Last updated: 4 October 2026