American ostrich

The American ostrich (Struthio americanus) is a species of ostrich that originally did not exist, but has since been created by SciiFii and introduced throughout open woodlands, grasslands, shrublands, scrublands, and deserts across North America to help boost biodiversity. The closest living relative of the American ostrich is the Asian ostrich (Struthio asiaticus). American ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone. Only 16 percent of American ostrich sightings were of more than two birds. During breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods ostriches live in nomadic groups of five to 100 birds (led by a top hen) that often travel together with other grazing animals, such as horses, sheep, goats, or pronghorns. American ostriches are diurnal, but may be active on moonlit nights. They are most active early and late in the day. The male American ostrich territory is between 2 and 20 km2 (0.77 and 7.72 sq mi). With their acute eyesight and hearing, American ostriches can sense predators such as American lions and American tigers from far away. When being pursued by a predator, they have been known to reach speeds in excess of 70 km/h (43 mph), and can maintain a steady speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), which makes the American ostrich one of the world's fastest non-prehistoric two-legged animal. When lying down and hiding from predators, the birds lay their heads and necks flat on the ground, making them appear like a mound of earth from a distance, aided by the heat haze in their hot, dry habitat. When threatened, American ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Their legs can only kick forward. They mainly feed on seeds, shrubs, grass, fruit and flowers; occasionally they also eat insects such as locusts. Lacking teeth, they swallow pebbles that act as gastroliths to grind food in the gizzard. When eating, they will fill their gullet with food, which is in turn passed down their esophagus in the form of a ball called a bolus. The bolus may be as much as 210 ml (7.1 US fl oz). After passing through the neck (there is no crop) the food enters the gizzard and is worked on by the aforementioned pebbles. The gizzard can hold as much as 1,300 g (46 oz), of which up to 45% may be sand and pebbles. American ostriches can go without drinking for several days, using metabolic water and moisture in ingested plants, but they enjoy liquid water and frequently take baths where it is available. They can survive losing up to 25% of their body weight through dehydration. American ostriches become sexually mature when they are 2 to 4 years old; females mature about six months earlier than males. As with other birds, an individual may reproduce several times over its lifetime. The mating season begins in March or April and ends sometime before September. The mating process differs in different geographical regions. Territorial males typically boom in defense of their territory and harem of two to seven hens; the successful male may then mate with several females in the area, but will only form a pair bond with a 'major' female. The male performs with his wings, alternating wing beats, until he attracts a mate. They will go to the mating area and he will maintain privacy by driving away all intruders. They graze until their behavior is synchronized, then the feeding becomes secondary and the process takes on a ritualistic appearance. The male will then excitedly flap alternate wings again, and start poking on the ground with his bill. He will then violently flap his wings to symbolically clear out a nest in the soil. Then, while the hen runs a circle around him with lowered wings, he will wind his head in a spiral motion. She will drop to the ground and he will mount for copulation. American ostriches raised entirely by humans may direct their courtship behavior not at other ostriches, but toward their human keepers. The conservation status of the American ostrich is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts and the American ostrich's wide natural range.