Red-necked ostrich

North African ostrich

Male

Female

Scientific classification

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Genus:

Struthio

Species:

S. camelus

Subspecies:

S. c. camelus

Trinomial name

Struthio camelus camelus
(Linnaeus, 1758)

Struthio camelus distribution map

North African subspecies (S. c. camelus)

The North African ostrich or red-necked ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus), also known as the Barbary ostrich, is the nominate subspecies of the common ostrich from West and North Africa. It is the largest subspecies, making it the largest living bird.

In the 1990s, mtDNA analyses control region haplotypes revealed that the Arabian ostrich from Western Asia is closely related to the North African ostrich.

In 2017, the Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany discovered that common ostriches used to live in India about 25,000 years ago. DNA research on eleven fossilized eggshells from eight archaeological sites in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh found 92% genetic similarity between the eggshells and the North African ostrich. It was suggested that the ostriches traveled between India and Africa before the Indian landmass drifted apart from Africa's.

The North African ostrich is the largest subspecies of S. camelus, at 2.74 m (9.0 ft) in height and up to 154 kilograms (340 lb) in weight. The neck is pinkish-red, the plumage of males is black and white, and the plumage of females is grey.

The North African ostrich was widespread from western to northeastern Africa. It used to range from Ethiopia and Sudan in the east throughout the Sahel to Senegal and Mauritania in the west, and north to Egypt and southern Morocco. It has now disappeared from large parts of this range and it only remains in 6 of the 18 countries where it originally occurred. This subspecies may also have occurred in the Sinai Peninsula, where Arabian ostriches once lived. North African ostriches can be found in open fields and the savannahs, especially in the Sahel of Africa. In Asia, the introduced North African ostriches live in grasslands, semi-deserts and plains.

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Wikipedia