"Spring is upon us and everyone is excited
and waiting in anticipation for all the new arrivals. Most animals will have their young during
this time as the weather is mild, and we usually receive some spring and/or
early summer rain. That means that there
is an abundance of food and shelter available for the youngsters as well as the
parents who need to care for them.
We have been spoiled throughout the year with new born Elephants and Buffalo, but now it’s time for
the flood gates to open!
Leading the charge this year are the
ostriches. We have been entertained by
their striking courtship displays for the past month or so, and have been
counting the days (average 44 days incubation period) for the first chicks to
hatch. And finally it happened! On my way back from the ‘bush’ I spotted a
male and female with a clutch of 10 chicks, that probably hatched the previous
day. I was lucky enough to get a few
shots of the new family taking a mid-morning siesta, a favourite activity at
River Bend Lodge.
Ostriches are polygamous animals. One dominant male will often mate with
several females, all of which lay their eggs in the same nest-scrape, but only
the dominant female will share the incubation responsibilities with the
male. The alpha female will also ensure
that her own eggs are in the middle of the clutch of eggs, rotating the
subordinate females’ eggs to the periphery, thereby ensuring her eggs receive
the best incubation. It also serves as added
protection from predation. The (grey)
female will often incubate during the day, with the (black) male taking night
shift due to camouflage.
Ostriches are not only the largest bird,
but also lay the largest eggs in the world.
One ostrich egg is on average the size of 22 chicken eggs, and weigh in
at 1.1kg. The shell is 2-3mm thick.
Ostrich chicks are often called hedgehogs
due to their ‘spiky’ down fashioning a resemblance to this small mammal often
found in the same range as the ostrich.
This could possibly be a predator deterrent.
We welcome our new arrivals and will keenly
be monitoring their development."
Source: Beat about the bush: birds, Trevor
Carnaby.
Written by
Mikey Mouton, field guide at River Bend Lodge.
Photos by Mikey Mouton
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