Arabian ostrich (SciiFii)

The Arabian ostrich (Struthio camelus syriacus), also known as the Syrian ostrich and the Middle Eastern ostrich is a subspecies of the ostrich that is native to the Arabian Peninsula and in the Near East. It was once extinct since the mid-20th century, but has since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and reintroduced back to its former range to help boost biodiversity. The Arabian ostrich is one of the largest subspecies of common ostrich (Struthio camelus), at about 2.74 meters (9.0 feet) 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, making it very similar in both size and appearance to the North African ostrich (Struthio camelus camelus). Arabian ostriches normally spend the winter months in pairs or alone. Only 16 percent of common ostrich sightings were of more than two birds. During breeding season and sometimes during extreme rainless periods, Arabian 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 or antelopes. Arabian ostriches, like other ostriches, are diurnal, but may be active on moonlit nights. They are most active early and late in the day. The male Arabian ostrich territory is between 2 and 20 km2 (0.77 and 7.72 sq mi). With their acute eyesight and hearing, Arabian ostriches can sense predators such as lions 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 Arabian 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, Arabian ostriches run away, but they can cause serious injury and death with kicks from their powerful legs. Their legs can only kick forward. Like most ostriches, Arabian ostriches are omnivorous and 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. Arabian 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. Arabian 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 Arabian ostrich 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. Arabian ostriches raised entirely by humans may direct their courtship behavior not at other ostriches, but toward their human keepers. The conservation status of the Arabian ostrich is Vulnerable due to historic poaching, however, thanks to the conservationists, the Arabian ostrich is a protected species and is making a comeback.