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Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs, [4] though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird — on average they are 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 13 cm (5.1 in) wide, and weigh 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb), over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg and only 1 to 4% the size of the female. [5]
The female common ostrich lays her fertilized eggs in a single communal nest, a simple pit, 30 to 60 cm (12 to 24 in) deep and 3 m (9.8 ft) wide, [66] scraped in the ground by the male. The dominant female lays her eggs first; when it is time to cover them for incubation, she discards extra eggs from the weaker females, leaving about 20 in most ...
South Africa produces about 70% of global ostrich products, [4] with the industry largely centered around the town of Oudtshoorn. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs and meat have been used by humans for millennia.
The major female lays on average 2 eggs per day and will spend a subsequent 15–90 minutes incubating, then will periodically leave the nest unattended to allow minor females to copulate with the territorial male and lay eggs in the nest. The male will often spend more time incubating the nest than the major female. [10] [4] An upwards of 18 ...
They are also the rare animal species where males do the majority of infant care. Female cassowaries lay eggs and then leave the nest, so males incubate the eggs and then raise the young chicks.
The male and female alternate to sit on the eggs with the female doing duty in the day and the male in the night. Some birds can lay up to 100 eggs during the breeding season with an egg being laid every one or two days. During this period the male ostriches become very aggressive protecting both the female and the eggs. [citation needed]
The eggs measure about 9 by 14 cm (3.5 by 5.5 in) – only ostrich and emu eggs are larger. The male incubates those eggs for 50–52 days, removing or adding litter to regulate the temperature, then protects the chicks, which stay in the nest for about 9 months. He defends them fiercely against all potential predators, including humans.
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