TRANSYLVANIAN(from Romania)....OSTRICH FAMILY and SNOW...Report10........a strucc és a hó

Even though ostriches are flightless birds, their wings are surprisingly strong. Ostriches use their wings for aggressive display and courtship rituals. Males have contrasting bright white and black plumage. Females' plumage is grey and drab. Their lead-blue skin color usually becomes scarlet over the beak, on the forehead and around the eyes during the mating season. The normal body temperature range of the ostrich is between 103 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit. During hot weather ostriches lift and fan their wings, while during cold weather they cover their thighs with their wings. The ostrich is the only bird to have only two toes on each foot. Emus, rheas and cassowarys, which are also classified as ratites (flightless birds), have three toes on each foot. Ostriches are fast runners, and their first instinct upon being frightened is to run. Ostriches can cover between 16 to 23 feet per stride and maintain speeds between 30 and 50 miles per hour for 30 minutes.