Editing Common ostrich (section)

==Distribution and habitat==
Common ostriches formerly occupied Africa north and south of the [[Sahara]], East Africa, Africa south of the rainforest belt, and much of [[Asia Minor]].<ref name="Davies"/> Today common ostriches prefer open land and are native to the [[savanna]]s and [[Sahel]] of Africa, both north and south of the equatorial forest zone.<ref name="Donegan 2002"/> In southwest Africa they inhabit the semi-desert or true desert. Farmed common ostriches in Australia have established [[wiktionary:feral|feral]] populations.<ref name="iucn status 19 November 2021" /><ref>[http://trevorsbirding.com/ostriches-in-australia-and-near-my-home/ Ostriches in Australia – and near my home]. trevorsbirding.com (13 September 2007)</ref> The [[Arabian ostrich]]es in the Near and Middle East were hunted to extinction by the middle of the 20th century. Attempts to reintroduce the common ostrich into Israel have failed.<ref name=haaretz_ref1/> Common ostriches have occasionally been seen inhabiting islands on the [[Dahlak Archipelago]], in the [[Red Sea]] near [[Eritrea]].

Research conducted by the [[Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany]] in India found molecular evidence that ostriches lived in India 25,000 years ago. DNA tests on fossilized eggshells recovered from eight archaeological sites in the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh found 92% genetic similarity between the eggshells and the North African ostrich, so these could have been fairly distant relatives.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ostriches-lived-in-india-once/article17438046.ece|title=Ostriches lived in India once|last=Prasad|first=R.|work=The Hindu|access-date=10 March 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/ostriches-lived-in-india-25000-yrs-ago-bsip-study/articleshow/57565265.cms|title=Ostriches lived in India 25,000 yrs ago: BSIP study - Times of India|work=The Times of India|access-date=10 March 2017}}</ref>

Ostriches are farmed in Australia. Many have escaped, however, and feral ostriches now roam the [[Australian outback]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 2018|title=The outback ostriches — Australia's loneliest birds|website=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-02/elusive-ostriches-roam-outback-after-farming-attempts-go-bust/10190990}}</ref>