Why do ostriches have red meat instead of white?

Essential Points to Know

Standing as tall as 9 feet (2.7 meters) with long legs, massive bodies, large overbites, and eyes as big as a child’s fist, the ostrich looks like the punchline to a bird joke [source: San Diego Zoo]. But don’t be fooled—these are the largest living birds, capable of delivering a deadly kick strong enough to take down a lion.

The ostrich stands out from nearly every other bird species. It belongs to a group known as ratites, which also includes emus and rheas, making it easy to distinguish from other avian creatures. For starters, these birds are flightless.

Although it may seem odd for a bird to be unable to fly, it makes sense when considering flight as a means of evading predators. Ostriches don’t require this escape mechanism because they can sprint at speeds of up to 43 miles per hour (70 kph) and maintain a pace of over 30 mph (50 kph) for long distances [source: San Diego Zoo]. As the fastest two-legged creature, their speed is even more remarkable when you realize they can weigh as much as 400 pounds (181 kg) [source: USDA]. While they don’t take to the air, their wings are far from useless: They help with balance during high-speed runs and act as rudders for quick direction changes. During mating season, male ostriches use their large wingspan to attract females.

Ostriches typically inhabit harsh desert environments, so their diet is incredibly adaptable. They consume nearly anything they can find: plants, lizards, seeds, locusts, and even stones (which they ingest to aid digestion). One rancher has even witnessed ostriches swallowing tennis balls and a kitten [source: NWF]. Their small, non-discriminatory appetite makes them a valuable farm asset. They grow faster than cattle with much less food, reproduce more frequently than cows, and their meat is highly prized, especially in the United States, where it’s considered a delicacy. In Europe and South Africa, however, ostrich meat is much more common.

What makes ostrich meat stand out? Despite being poultry, ostrich meat is red, unlike most other birds. This red meat, which resembles and tastes like beef, is lower in fat, calories, and cholesterol than beef, as well as white meats like chicken and turkey. All ratites have red meat, which is linked to the nature of their muscles. In the following section, we’ll delve into the specifics of meat and uncover why ostrich meat is red rather than white.

What Gives Red Meat Its Color?

All animals possess meat, including humans. However, the term "meat" isn’t typically highlighted in diagrams of the human body. So where does it come from? Meat is essentially muscle. When an animal passes away, its muscle undergoes a change and becomes what we refer to as meat. The type of muscle determines whether that meat is red, dark, or white.

Let's clarify some terminology: "Red meat" is meat that is naturally reddish before cooking, such as beef, venison, and ostrich. "White meat" is very pale before cooking and includes chicken, turkey, and pork. "Dark meat" typically refers to a darker, fattier part of an animal that also produces white meat—such as a chicken's wing. Rabbits are also classified as dark meat.

The key factor in determining whether an animal's meat is white or red is whether its muscles are primarily fast-twitch or slow-twitch. Slow-twitch muscles are used frequently for long-lasting activities like continuous walking, standing, or flying. These muscles contain high levels of the protein myoglobin, which stores oxygen to support sustained energy use. Myoglobin has a reddish color, similar to the hemoglobin found in blood, which is why red meat often appears bloody. Like cows, ostriches spend a lot of time standing and walking. Even their wings get quite a workout as they help with steering. As a result, ostriches have predominantly slow-twitch muscles. Slow-twitch muscle makes up red meat.

Chickens and turkeys, in contrast, don’t rely on their muscles as much. Their muscle mass is mostly composed of fast-twitch fibers, which are used for quick bursts of activity, such as a sudden jump into the air that makes up the majority of their flight. Fast-twitch muscles use glycogen for energy, with little myoglobin involved. Glycogen is pale in color, which is why fast-twitch muscle is considered white meat. (See How Muscles Work to learn more.)

A fascinating exception to this is the "dark meat" in poultry. Body parts like legs experience a lot of movement—chickens are always walking—so their leg muscles contain more myoglobin than their breasts, which aren’t used as much since chickens rarely fly. Because chickens’ legs are in constant use, there’s more myoglobin in their leg muscles, making the meat darker compared to the breast meat.

For more details on ostriches, ostrich meat, and the economics of ostrich farming, check out the links below.