Q 01/05

The ostrich is native to which continent?

A) Australia

B) South America

C) Asia

D) Africa

Answer · why

D) Africa

It once lived in Arabia too, but that population was hunted to extinction around 1966.

Q 02/05

How many living ostrich species are there?

A) One

B) Two

C) Four

D) Nine

Answer · why

B) Two

The Somali ostrich was split off as a full species by BirdLife International in 2014; it prefers bushland to open savanna.

Q 03/05

The ostrich holds the record for the fastest land speed of any what?

A) Bird

B) Bipedal animal

C) African animal

D) Flightless vertebrate

Answer · why

B) Bipedal animal

It cruises at 55 km/h and sprints at about 70, covering 3 to 5 metres in a stride.

Q 04/05

Which extinct birds laid larger eggs than the ostrich?

A) The dodo and the great auk

B) The terror birds

C) The passenger pigeon and Carolina parakeet

D) The elephant bird and the giant moa

Answer · why

D) The elephant bird and the giant moa

Madagascar's Aepyornis maximus and New Zealand's Dinornis robustus both beat it; among living birds it has no rival.

Q 05/05

How tall does a male ostrich stand?

A) 1.2 to 1.5 m

B) 2.1 to 2.75 m

C) 3.5 to 4 m

D) 1.6 to 1.8 m

Answer · why

B) 2.1 to 2.75 m

Males weigh 100 to 130 kg; an exceptional bird has topped 156 kg.