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Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs, [4] though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird — on average they are 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 13 cm (5.1 in) wide, and weigh 1.4 kilograms (3.1 lb), over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg and only 1 to 4% the size of the female. [5]
Ostrich eggs are the largest of all eggs, [68] though they are actually the smallest eggs relative to the size of the adult bird – on average they are 15 cm (5.9 in) long, 13 cm (5.1 in) wide, and weigh 1.4 kg (3.1 lb), over 20 times the weight of a chicken's egg and only 1 to 4% the size of the female. [69]
A large male ostrich can reach a height of 2.8 m (9.2 ft) and weigh over 156 kg (344 lb). [47] A mass of 200 kg (440 lb) has been cited for the ostrich but no wild ostriches of this weight have been verified. [2] Eggs laid by the ostrich are the largest in the world, weighing 1.4 kg (3.1 lb).
South Africa produces about 70% of global ostrich products, [5] with the industry largely centered around the town of Oudtshoorn. Ostrich leather is a lucrative commodity, and the large feathers are used as plumes for the decoration of ceremonial headgear. Ostrich eggs and meat have been used by humans for millennia.
Eggs of: ostrich, emu, kiwi and chicken. Egg size tends to be proportional to the size of the adult bird, [citation needed] from the half gram egg of the bee hummingbird to the 1.5 kg egg of the ostrich. Kiwis have disproportionately large eggs, up to 20% of the female's body weight. [18]
The eggs measure about 9 by 14 cm (3.5 by 5.5 in) – only ostrich and emu eggs are larger. The male incubates those eggs for 50–52 days, removing or adding litter to regulate the temperature, then protects the chicks, which stay in the nest for about 9 months. He defends them fiercely against all potential predators, including humans.
However, the average clutch size is 26 eggs laid by 7 different females. [4] Rhea eggs measure about 130 mm × 90 mm (5.1 in × 3.5 in) and weigh 600 g (21 oz) on average; they are thus less than half the size of an ostrich egg. Their shell is greenish-yellow when fresh but soon fades to dull cream when exposed to light.
A comparison of a kiwi (l), ostrich (c), and Dinornis (r), each with its egg. The moa's closest relatives are small terrestrial South American birds called the tinamous, which can fly. [9] [14] [15] [16] Previously, the kiwi, the Australian emu, and cassowary [17] were thought to be most closely related to moa.