Emu Facts | Australia South Wildlife Guide

Emus are the largest bird in Australia and second largest in the world, after the ostrich, averaging 5.7 feet in height and weighing roughly 110 to 130 pounds. Tiny wings prevent these ratites from flying, but their long legs allow them to run up to 31 miles per hour, covering hundreds of miles in search of food and water. This harrowing marathon can cost emus 50 percent of their body weight, but their habitats of eucalyptus forest, woodland, heath, desert shrubland and sand plains provide them with replenishing plants, insects and small vertebrates. To make grinding food easier on their gizzards, emus will ingest large pebbles and lots of charcoal.

Female emus are larger than males and court them during the summer months (December/January), fighting other females for the privilege. Males construct the nests and incubate the eggs for an average of 56 days, forgoing food and water until the chicks hatch. Female emus sometimes stay by the nest, defending the eggs, but typically after the eggs are laid, females will venture off to find another mate. A productive mating season for a female emu will see her nest three times. Once the chicks are born, male emus will stay with their offspring for up to 7 months, protecting them and teaching them how to find food.

Emus are resilient, well-adapted birds, and are thus considered of "least concern" by the IUCN Red List. In the 1930s, the government waged the Great Emu War to cull emus in order to protect crops. While many emus died, their population persevered and exclusion barrier fencing became the de facto way to deal with agricultural destruction. Australia also began commercially farming emus for their meat and skin about 50 years ago, but their population in the wild remains stable today.

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