Expresso

Expresso the Ostrich is an Animal Buddy in the Donkey Kong series who first appeared in Donkey Kong Country.

Donkey Kong Country
Expresso first appears in the game Donkey Kong Country as one of the game's four rideable Animal Buddies. The other three are Rambi, Enguarde, and Winky. He is also one of the two Animal Buddies that are birds, the other being Squawks. Expresso can run at fast speeds and glide through the air by flapping his wings rapidly. Interestingly, Expresso has no offensive capabilities at all, meaning that he has no way to defend himself against threats; though some small enemies may pass under Expresso's legs, leaving Expresso unharmed.

Levels

Levels that Expresso appears in:


 * Temple Tempest
 * Orang-utan Gang
 * Ice Age Alley
 * Misty Mine

Donkey Kong Land
Expresso reappears in Donkey Kong Country's semi-sequel Donkey Kong Land. In this game, he is one of the game's two Animal Buddies. The other Animal Buddy being Rambi. In this game, Expresso's abilities remain relatively the same as before, except he can defeat enemies by jumping on them. He can even defeat Zingers.

Levels

Levels that Expresso appears in:
 * Deck Trek
 * Landslide Leap
 * Mountain Mayhem
 * Collapsing Clouds

''Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24
In the Club Nintendo comic "Donkey Kong in: Banana Day 24", Diddy and Dixie Kong are briefly seen riding Expresso to an airport.

Trivia

 * Aside from Donkey Kong Country's various remakes, Expresso has yet to reappear, though an identical ostrich, also known as Expresso appears in the Game Boy Advance version of Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
 * The name "Expresso" is a combination of the words espresso(a coffee drink) and express(meaning "fast").
 * Though Expresso, along with several other ostriches, appeared in the trailer for the apparently canceled game Donkey Kong Racing, it is unknown if Expresso was going to be a ridable character or not.
 * Expresso can be found in the course Jinxy's Dunes in the game Banjo-Pilot.
 * Cranky Kong referenced Expresso in the Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest instruction manual by saying, "A more tragic looking bunch of useless no-hopers you'll never see! I liked Expresso and Winky--where have they gone?", as well as in the Donkey Kong 64 instruction manual with, "I just hope they've included poor old  Winky and Expresso this time instead of that bone-brained rhino that always seems to get in the games."
 * Expresso's shoes bear a resemblance to the Turbo Trainers in Banjo-Kazooie.
 * He is similar to an Ostro from Super Mario Bros. 2, as both are ostriches the hero can ride. But Ostro is an enemy while Expresso never attacks Donkey Kong.