World Ostrich Day

Jade Tinker thinks ostriches are so cool that she’s started World Ostrich Day—and the first one is on 2 February. Jade is a zookeeper at the Auckland Zoo, in New Zealand’s north island. And another thing that’s cool—Jade grew up reading Kidzone!

Why did you decide to establish World Ostrich Day?

I created World Ostrich Day so they would have an official day where people could share ostrich facts, photos and stories to celebrate these amazing birds.

What did you have to do to make it official? Anyone can make up a day. The more people who show interest, the more well-known it becomes and the more official it is marked. Social media has been a wonderful way for me to get the day out into the world. I’ve also created an official Facebook group and event page called World Ostrich Day that anyone can join and follow.

Why did you choose this date?

I chose 2 February because the ostrich is the only ratite (birds that can’t fly) that has two toes, every other ratite species has three. So it seemed fitting to celebrate the first-ever World Ostrich Day on 2/2/2020.

What do you love about ostriches?

The ostrich can stand at up to almost 3m tall and weigh almost 150kg making them the world’s largest living bird. Having only two toes (one for weight bearing and the other for balance) means they can reach running speeds of up to 80km/hr without the risk of tripping over a third inner toe. Their long legs enable the ostrich to cover 5m in a single stride. Ostriches can even swim, they use their powerful legs to keep themselves upright and moving in the water.

What do you think is the coolest thing about them?

I think the coolest thing about ostriches is that we still don’t know everything about them. For example, ostriches can be seen spinning on the spot every now and then, almost like they are dancing, but scientifically we don’t know why they spin.