The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) is a large flightless bird native to the Horn of Africa – especially in north-eastern Ethiopia and across all of Somalia. Unlike other ostriches, the skin of the neck and thighs of the Somali ostrich is grey-blue rather than pinkish, becoming bright blue on the male during the mating season. The neck lacks a typical broad white ring, and the tail feathers are white. Females are slightly larger than the males and browner in plumage than other female ostriches. Also known as the blue-necked ostrich, it prefers bushier, more thickly vegetated areas than the common ostrich.
