Zimbabwe: Hwange NP – South African Ostrich

The ostrich species that you can encounter in Zimbabwe in Hwange is the South African ostrich. Usually they walk around in pairs, but sometime congregate in groups of 4 or more. Massive birds, up to 9 feet tall and 320 pounds of weight, they have one of the smallest ratio of brain to body weight in the animal world. Maybe that’s why they put their heads in the sand when trying to escape (which is actually a myth – the only time they put their head down is to drink or eat or take care of eggs).