Common Ostrich

Given my affinity for headshots, there was no way I wang going get out of Africa without a portrait of this icon. The species is so massive - effectively 6 feet tall - that it took some time to achieve this result. Most headshots require creeping as close as possible, but it was hard to get the distance right in this instance. The downy feathers don't resolve as well as 'normal' feathers, so I had to be close enough to capture their structure but far enough away to get the long neck and head. This was the best I could muster -- the backlighting not ideal -- so I'll be motivated to get a front-lit frame on my next visit, whenever that happens.

Karoo National Park, Western Cape, 8/3/22
Canon 600mm f/4 IS II on EOS R5
1/640 at f/5.6, ISO 1600