Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species, but there is no consensus among experts about this.

There's barely a bush and the only wildlife was the occasional skinny antelope and a few hardy Somali ostriches.

Somali ostriches are widespread, larger than the Maasai ostrich and distinctive for their indigo legs and neck.

The Somali Ostrich, Struthio molybdophanes, has recently become recognized as a separate species by some authorities, while others are still reviewing the information.

The reserve is home to rare species that include the reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and the endangered Grevy's zebra.

S. c. molybdophanes, Somali Ostrich, southern Ethiopia, northeastern Kenya, and Somalia.

Today the Somali Ostrich is re-introduced from captivity to the open areas of the Negev in Israel where the Arabian Ostrich lived before.

Some analyses indicate that the Somali Ostrich may be better considered a full species separate from the Common Ostrich, but most taxonomists consider it to be a subspecies.

Though generally similar to 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 Somali Ostrich (Struthio camelus molybdophanes) is a large flightless bird, a distinct subspecies, sometimes considered a full species (Struthio molybdophanes), of the Ostrich.

The Somali Ostrich is found in eastern Africa from north-eastern Ethiopia, across Somalia, to north-eastern Kenya, its range corresponding roughly to the area known as the Horn of Africa.

Here live the beautiful dry-country animals of northern Kenya that make up Samburu's "special five": gerenuk, oryx, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich and Grevy's zebra - the world's most beautiful wild horse with its big round ears and pinstripe coat.

The Somali Ostrich is differentiated ecologically from the Masai Ostrich, with which there is some range overlap, by preferring bushier, more thickly vegetated areas, where it feeds largely by browsing, whereas the latter is mainly a grazer on open savanna.

An examination of the mitochondrial DNA of Struthio taxa, including the extinct Arabian Ostrich S. c. syriacus, has found that the Somali Ostrich is phylogenetically the most distinct, appearing to have diverged from their common ancestor some 3.6 to 4.1 million years ago.