Journal profile · Ornithology
Ostrich
ISSN 0030-6525 · eISSN 1727-947X · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · SOUTH AFRICA · Semiannual · Founded 1930
Ostrich: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.73; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 155 days to acceptance (69 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 32 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ostrich is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Avian ecology and behavior, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies, together about 37.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology is the leading ornithological journal in Africa, and publishes peer-reviewed scientific papers and short communications (<2,000 words) on all aspects of ornithology conducted in Africa and its associated islands and marine habitats. Contributions reporting on avian behaviour, breeding, conservation, demography, ecology, migration, morphology and systematics are welcome. Review articles are particularly encouraged. Extended taxonomic papers may be considered for publication particularly if they include relevant discussion of behavioural, ecological or biogeographic criteria. The journal also publishes book reviews. Articles published in Ostrich are expected to be of value to ornithologists, ecologists, conservationists and interested bird-watchers. Ostrich is the scientific journal of BirdLife South Africa.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ornithology
Editor-in-chief Martim MeloPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 4 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science19.2%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science10.6%
- Earthquake and Disaster Impact StudiesSocial Sciences7.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering7%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences6.1%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ornithology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 0.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.33Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.65Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 47OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 778OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.01OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.88%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 30LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 20,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,376 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34 | 11 | 8 |
| 2025 | 32 | 15 | 20 |
| 2024 | 34 | 16 | 73 |
| 2023 | 37 | 13 | 82 |
| 2022 | 32 | 9 | 204 |
| 2021 | 39 | 9 | 238 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
155 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 99 days – 267 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 64 days (69 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 233 days
- Sample
- 69 articles with submission and acceptance dates (79 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 51%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 46 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 70 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 75 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- book reviewsThe journal also publishes book reviews.Length not stated
- editorialEditor-in-Chief Dr Martim Melo Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO); Natural History and Science Museum, University of Porto, Portugal.…Length not stated
- extended taxonomic papersExtended taxonomic papers may be considered for publication particularly if they include relevant discussion of behavioural, ecological or biogeographic criteri…Length not stated
- peer-reviewed scientific paperspublishes peer-reviewed scientific papers and short communications (<2,000 words) on all aspects of ornithology conducted in Africa and its associated islands a…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles are particularly encouraged.Length not stated
- short communicationhes peer-reviewed scientific papers and short communications (<2,000 words) on all aspects of ornithology conducted in Africa and itsmain text ≤ 2,000 words
- short communicationspublishes peer-reviewed scientific papers and short communications (<2,000 words) on all aspects of ornithology conducted in Africa and its associated islands a…main text ≤ 2,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal, part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
Ostrich is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership of y…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- SOUTH AFRICA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semiannual
- Founded
- 1930
- ISSN
- 0030-6525
- Electronic ISSN
- 1727-947X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 97, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ostrich
What CAS zone is Ostrich in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ostrich is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Ornithology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Ostrich?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.73; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 47.
How long does peer review take at Ostrich?
Based on the dates recorded on 69 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 155 days (interquartile range 99–267 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 51%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Ostrich based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ostrich?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ostrich is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Ostrich open access, and what is the APC?
Ostrich is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .