Ostriches Giant Birds

Ostriches, Giant Birds. Written by Kira Freed. Focus Question. Why are ostriches well -suited to live in the African savanna?

鸵鸟，巨型鸟类 基拉·弗里德 著 探究问题 为什么鸵鸟很适合生活在非洲稀树草原？

the original big bird. It's huge, it's powerful, and it means business. It's an ostrich, the world's largest living bird. And it's a far cry from the delicate songbirds that come to mind when most people think of birds. Ostriches are marathon runners and heavyweight kickboxers rolled into one. Don't ruffle their feathers or you'll be in a heap of trouble.

这种原生大型鸟类 它体型庞大、力量十足，向来不好惹 它就是鸵鸟，世界现存最大的鸟类 它和大多数人想到鸟类时浮现出的娇巧鸣禽完全不同 鸵鸟集长跑健将和重量级踢拳手于一身 别惹怒它们，不然你会惹上大麻烦

No ordinary bird. Ostriches are the giants of the bird world. Adult males can grow as tall as 9 feet, 2 .7 meters, with their neck extended and weigh up to 350 pounds, 160 kilograms. Females are slightly smaller but still enormous. Adult males and females are easy to tell apart by their coloring. The males are a striking black and white, while females and juveniles are grayish brown. Some ostriches have pink necks and thighs.

绝非寻常鸟类 鸵鸟是鸟类世界里的巨人 伸长脖子的成年雄鸵鸟最高可达9英尺（2.7米），体重最高可达350磅（160千克） 雌鸵鸟稍小一些，但也十分庞大 成年鸵鸟靠羽毛就能轻易分出雌雄 雄鸵鸟是醒目的黑白色，雌鸵鸟和幼鸵鸟是灰褐色 有些鸵鸟的脖子和大腿是粉色的

Ostriches are different from most birds in that they cannot fly. However, they're the fastest birds on foot. They can run 30 miles per hour, 48 .2 kilometers per hour, over a long distance, and can sprint up to 45 miles per hour, 72 .4 kilometers per hour. In spite of their large size, ostriches are agile and can turn on a dime using their wings for balance. As the only two -toed birds in the world, ostriches are adapted for running. They run on each foot's longer toe and use the other toe for balance.

鸵鸟和大多数鸟类不同，它们不会飞 但它们是陆地上跑得最快的鸟类 长途奔跑时它们的时速可达30英里（每小时48.2千米），冲刺时速最高能到45英里 也就是每小时72.4千米 尽管鸵鸟体型很大，但它们十分灵活，能靠翅膀保持平衡快速转身 作为世界上唯一的两趾鸟类，鸵鸟的身体结构天生适合奔跑 它们用每只脚上更长的那根脚趾奔跑，另一根用来保持平衡

Ostriches also have unusual feathers. Most birds have stiff feathers with a strong spine down the middle. In contrast, ostriches have soft, fluffy feathers. The feathers protect these giants from sunlight during the day and keep them warm at night. Most birds have a gland that spreads oil over their feathers when they clean themselves. The oil makes their feathers waterproof. Because ostriches don't have this gland, they can get soaked to the skin when it rains. These birds have enormous eyes, the largest of any land animal. Each of their eyes measures almost 2 inches, 5 centimeters across. Their brain is about the same size as one of their eyes, which is quite small for such a huge animal. Ostrich veterinarian Dr. Carol Price says, Ostriches are as dumb as a box of rocks. They run or fight. They don't think. They are, however, curious about everything and have to check it out, whether it's a wrinkle in a person's t -shirt or sparkly jewelry. One of these big birds earned the nickname the $10 ,000 ostrich after plucking and swallowing one of its owners' diamond earrings.

鸵鸟还有与众不同的羽毛 大多数鸟类的羽毛很硬，中间有一根结实的羽轴 相反，鸵鸟的羽毛柔软蓬松 这些羽毛白天帮鸵鸟抵挡日晒，夜晚帮它们保暖 大多数鸟类都有一个腺体，整理羽毛时会把油脂涂到羽毛上 这些油脂能让羽毛防水 因为鸵鸟没有这个腺体，下雨时它们会被淋得浑身湿透 鸵鸟的眼睛非常大，是所有陆地动物中最大的 每只眼睛的直径差不多有2英寸（5厘米） 它们的大脑和一只眼睛差不多大，对这么大的动物来说实在很小 鸵鸟兽医卡罗尔·普莱斯博士说：“鸵鸟笨得像一堆石头。” 它们要么跑要么打 不动脑子 不过它们对一切都很好奇，不管是人类T恤上的褶皱还是亮晶晶的首饰，都要凑过去看一看 有一只大鸟拔下并吞下了主人的钻石耳环，因此得到了“一万美元鸵鸟”的外号

Bird herd. Ostriches live in African deserts and savannas. The areas where they live are dry with extreme heat during the day and cold temperatures at night. Ostriches live in herds that usually have fewer than 12 birds, though a group of 100 or more may occasionally gather near a watering hole. Hanging out in a herd, ostriches use teamwork to stay safe. Their good vision and long necks help them spot danger from far away.

群居鸵鸟 鸵鸟生活在非洲的沙漠和稀树草原 它们的栖息地十分干旱，白天酷热，夜晚寒冷 鸵鸟通常群居，一个族群一般不到12只，不过偶尔会有上百只鸵鸟聚集在水坑边 群居生活的鸵鸟会靠团队合作保证安全 出色的视力加上长长的脖子，能帮它们远远就发现危险