The ostrich is the largest living bird.
Ostriches are the only species in the order Struthioniformes, and the family Struthionidae. They are, however, related to other flightless birds called ratites, through the order Rheiformes. Other birds in the order include all varieties of emus, extinct and living varieties of moas and the extinct elephant bird.
Giant Moa
A native of New Zealand, the giant moa had no natural predators except Haast's eagles, which are also extinct. The giant moa lived on a fibrous diet of twigs, fruit, and leaves, and had an estimated lifespan of 50 years. Not including the length of its neck, a female giant moa -- which was the larger of the sexes -- was about 7 feet long. The giant moa had no wings, very little breast muscle and extremely strong -- and long -- legs. Giant moas were brown with a reddish tint, though some of their feathers had a light stripe down the center or lighter or darker tips. The Maori were the first humans to inhabit New Zealand; within the first century of inhabitating the island they are thought to have hunted the moa into extinction.
Elephant Bird
The elephant bird, the largest bird of all time, inhabited Madagascar for approximately 60 million years. An herbivore with no natural predators, it shied away from humans, and retreated into further isolation on the island until it was declared extinct by 1700. Its feathers were hair-like, reminiscent of modern emus. The elephant bird had vestigial wings, a small head and strong -- and long -- legs, It looked much like a stockier, larger North African ostrich. The elephant bird was about 10 feet tall and weighed roughly 1,000 lbs.
Tasmanian Emu
The Tasmanian emu was once abundant on the island of Tasmania, but was hunted to extinction in the wild by 1865 and went extinct in captivity in 1873. It bred in nests on the ground, raised broods of about six chicks, reached sexual maturity at about 20 months of age and lived about 6 years. The Tasmanian emu was likely omnivorous, although its "meat eating" was probably limited to bugs and larvae. It was smaller and darker, but otherwise likely looked similar to the modern-day Australian emu.
Arabian Ostrich
The Arabian ostrich lived throughout the desert plains of the Arabian Peninsula until approximately the 1940s. It resembled the North African ostrich, though it likely was slightly smaller. Its breeding practices and life cycle were also similar to the North African ostrich's. Although the Arabian ostrich was not historically hunted for meat, it was ultimately hunted for sport to the point of extinction -- once firearms and automobiles became more common in the region in the early 20th century. Today, the North African ostrich, the Arabian ostrich's closest living relative, has been introduced to the region.
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