Ostriches in Australia

Ostriches are not an Australian native bird. They occur naturally in Africa, but if I want to see some Ostriches here in Australia I just have to drive for about ten minutes and visit the Monarto Zoo, just a few kilometers from my home.

Monarto Zoo is an open range zoo with large tracts of land for the animals on display. Ostriches were once farmed in Australia in the 1800s for their feathers which decorated elaborate hats. More recently they have been farmed for their meat.

Below is a photo of an Australian Emu for comparison. This was also taken at Monarto Zoo.

To read more about Australian birds click here.