The Ostrich

In English we use an idiom, 'bury your head in the sand'. It means that you don't want to believe reality. The idiom comes from Pliny, who lived from the year 23 to 79. He said that ostriches do this. In reality, they don't but they are very strange birds.

First, ostriches can't fly. However, they can run as fast as seventy km an hour. Next, they are the biggest birds in the world and they lay the largest eggs. Then, they eat stones to help them to break up their food. (They usually eat plants but also sometimes tiny animals.)

Ostriches live in Africa in groups of five to fifty birds. They need to stay cool in the hot, hot days and stay warm in the very cold nights. That's why they have feathers on their legs.

The enemy of the ostrich is the lion. But ostriches are not an easy target. They can see very well and it's hard for an enemy to come near to them. They also often hide by staying flat on the ground or they run. But if they must, they can kick very hard with their long legs.

Ostriches are very popular birds with human beings. We eat them; we race them; we wear their feathers. The ostrich is here to stay.