Written by: Jackie Badenhorst
Not long after I entered Rietvlei Nature Reserve I saw a female ostrich strutting amongst the pink flowers. I decided to switch the car off and get a few photos.
Once the car was off I heard a deep, booming sound coming from far off. I heard it again and again but couldn’t see any animals but her. The next thing I spotted a male ostrich coming over a ridge about 300-400 metres off and he was on a mission!
He came sprinting as fast as he could in the female’s direction. When he was about 50 metres away, she sat down – as if she knew what was coming!
He then came to a stop and wasted no time mounting the female.
As they copulated he inflated his throat pouch and swished his head from side-to-side whilst lifting his wings up and down. This lasted for about five minutes and then he was done.
He proceeded to jump up and take off at the same speed he had approached her. She stood up, stood dead still for a few minutes and eventually moved off to feed again.
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