About
鸵 is a phono-semantic compound identifying the ostrich. Its traditional form 鴕 combines the bird radical 鳥, which provides the semantic category, with the phonetic component 佗, which supplies the sound. The simplified form 鸵 replaces 鳥 with the simplified bird radical 鸟 while retaining the same phonetic element. Created specifically to name this non-native bird, the character has remained a specialized zoological term without developing any metaphorical meanings.