Members of the only living species of the family Struthionidae. The ostrich is a very large, swift-running, flightless bird with a long, almost bare neck and long legs with two toes on each foot, inhabiting open, semi-arid areas of Africa and formerly the Middle East. The male is mostly black but has white plumes in the wings and tail, the females are mostly brown. Ostrich plumes adorned the helmets of medieval European knights, and in the 19th century plumes were sold for women's hats, but the demand fell after World War I. Ostrich eggs are the world's largest and are used in art, especially to create vessels. Ostriches are now raised for their meat and hide.
