South Africa produces about 70% of global ostrich products,[4] 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.

The genus was used by Linnaeus and other early taxonomists to include the emu, rhea, and cassowary, until they each were placed in their own genera.

[1] The Somali ostrich (Struthio molybdophanes) has recently become recognized as a separate species by most authorities, while others are still reviewing the evidence.

The closest relatives of Struthionidae within the Struthioniformes are the Ergilornithidae, known from the late Eocene to early Pliocene of Asia.

[9][10][11][12] Today, ostriches are only found natively in the wild in Africa, where they occur in a range of open arid and semi-arid habitats such as savannas and the Sahel, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone.