Common Ostrich

SCI Name:  Struthio camelus
Protonym:  Struthio Camelus Syst.Nat.ed.10 p.155
Taxonomy:  Struthioniformes / Struthionidae / Struthio
Taxonomy Code:  ostric2
Type Locality:  Syria, Arabia, Lybia, Africa. Restricted type locality, North Africa, Rothschild, supra p. 83; further restricted to Sennar, Stresemann, Orn. Monatsb., 34, 1926, p. 139.
Author:  Linnaeus
Publish Year:  1758
IUCN Status:  Least Concern

DEFINITIONS

STRUTHIO
(Struthionidae; Ϯ Common Ostrich S. camelus) L. struthiocamelus ostrich (“camel bird,” because of its size and cursorial habits)  < Gr. στρουθοκαμηλος strouthokamēlos or στρουθος strouthos (the latter usually applied to small, sparrow-like birds, but here used in the sense of THE (great) bird) (L. passer marinus (often abbreviated to passer) ostrich (because it was imported by sea)) (cf. Late L. struthio or struthius  ostrich); "86. STRUTHIO.  Rostrum conicum.  Alæ ad volandum ineptæ." (Linnaeus 1758); "Struthio Linné, Syst. Nat., ed. 10, 1, 1758, p. 155. Type, by subsequent designation, Struthio camelus Linné. (Gray, List Gen. Bds., 1840, p. 63.)" (Peters 1931, I, 3).  Linnaeus's Struthio comprised four species (S. Camelus, S. Casuarius, S. americanus, S. cucullatus). The Common or African Ostrich formerly occurred in the deserts of Arabia and the Middle East, but has not been seen there since 1940.
Synon. Megaloscelornis, Pachystruthio, Palaeostruthio, Struthiolithus.

struthio
Late L. struthio, struthionis  ostrich or any large bird  < L. struthiocamelus  ostrich  < Gr. στρουθοκαμηλος strouthokamēlos  ostrich.

camelus
L. struthiocamelus  ostrich; "86. STRUTHIO.  ...  Camelus.  1. S. pedibus didactylis.  Struthio-Camelus. Aldr. orn. l. 9. c. 2. Dodart. mem. 335. Seb. mus. I. t. 51. f. 6. Will. ornith. 104. t. 25. Raj. av. 36. Alb. av. 3. p. 30. t. 31.  Habitat in Syria, Arabia, Lybia, Africa.  Spina sub humeris armatur, maxima Avium; Palpebra utraque ciliata. Exterior digitus muticus. Pennæ lanatæ pro galeis beilicis cristaque castrensi. Ova sæpe 50, candida, lævia, in arena excludenda deserta. Job. 39: 16." (Linnaeus 1758) (Struthio).

SUBSPECIES

Common Ostrich (camelus)
SCI Name: Struthio camelus camelus
camelus
L. struthiocamelus  ostrich; "86. STRUTHIO.  ...  Camelus.  1. S. pedibus didactylis.  Struthio-Camelus. Aldr. orn. l. 9. c. 2. Dodart. mem. 335. Seb. mus. I. t. 51. f. 6. Will. ornith. 104. t. 25. Raj. av. 36. Alb. av. 3. p. 30. t. 31.  Habitat in Syria, Arabia, Lybia, Africa.  Spina sub humeris armatur, maxima Avium; Palpebra utraque ciliata. Exterior digitus muticus. Pennæ lanatæ pro galeis beilicis cristaque castrensi. Ova sæpe 50, candida, lævia, in arena excludenda deserta. Job. 39: 16." (Linnaeus 1758) (Struthio).

Common Ostrich (syriacus)
SCI Name: Struthio camelus syriacus
syriaca / syriacus
L. Syriacus Syrian.
● Bischerra, Syria (= Bcharre, Lebanon); ex “Fringilla syriaca” of Hemprich & Ehrenberg MS (Serinus).
● Tripoli, Syria; ex “Hasbesch de Syrie” of de Buffon 1770-1783, and “Tripoline Finch” of Latham 1783 (unident.).

Common Ostrich (massaicus)
SCI Name: Struthio camelus massaicus
massaica / massaicum / massaicus
Massai, Masai or Maasai, a semi-nomadic people of Kenya and northern Tanzania.

Common Ostrich (australis)
SCI Name: Struthio camelus australis
australe / australis
L. australis  southern  < auster, austri  south.
● Tierra del Fuego; ex “Thorn-tailed Warbler” of Latham 1783 (syn. Aphrastura spinicauda).
● Cayenne; ex “Southern Sandpiper” of Latham 1785 (?syn. Calidris canutus).
● Erroneous TL "Friendly Islands" (= Tasmania); ex "South-Sea Raven" of Latham 1781 (syn. Corvus coronoides).
● Erroneous TL. New Guinea (= Luzon, Philippines); ex “Manikor de la Nouvelle Guinée” of de Buffon 1770-1783 (Dicaeum).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Snipe” of Latham 1801 (syn. Gallinago hardwickii).
● Australia; ex “Pacific Paroquet (var.)” of Phillip 1789 (syn. Glossopsitta concinna).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Pelican” of Latham 1824 (syn. Pelecanus conspicillatus).
● Australia; ex “Cold-river Goatsucker” of Latham 1823 (syn. Podargus strigoides).
● Australia; ex “New Holland Quail” of Latham 1802 (Synoicus).
● Tasmania; ex Brown MS (syn. Lathamus discolor).
● Dusky Sound, New Zealand (syn. Nestor meridionalis).
● Staten I., off Tierra del Fuego (= Isla de los Estados, Argentina); ex “Statenland Eagle” of Latham 1781 (Phalcoboenus).
● Christmas I.; ex "Southern Tern" of Latham 1785 (syn. Procelsterna caerulea) (so identified by Stresemann 1950).
● Kerguelen I.; ex “Southern Tern” of Latham 1785 (?syn. Sterna vittata).
● Madagascar; ex “Palumbus viridis Madagascariensis” of Brisson 1760 (Treron).
● Erroneous TL. Sandwich Is. (= Samoa); ex “Blue-crested Parrakeet” of Latham 1781 (Vini).
● Tierra del Fuego; ex “Rusty-collared Finch” of Latham 1783 (subsp. Zonotrichia capensis).