The Ostrich is the largest flightless bird native to Africa and is now the largest living species of bird, since a number of larger flightless birds have become extinct over the past 5000 years. It is farmed for it's feathers, skin and meat. Up until the mid 20th century, ostriches occurred naturally in southwestern Asia, the Arabian peninsula, and Africa, but now exist only in Africa. They do not, as is popular belief, bury their heads in the ground. This myth probably stemmed from the way Emus lower their head in response to danger, sometimes lying down, flat on the ground.