Emu

 

This week we are looking at the Emu they are the second-largest living birds in the world, native only to Australia, and known for their speed, endurance, and unique breeding habits.

They stand up to 1.75–2 meters tall and weigh 50–55 kg (110–121 lbs), with brownish feathers with a shaggy texture; long legs adapted for running. They have three forward-facing toes, which help them sprint and manoeuvre quickly.

Some may know and some may not know but emus can run as fast as 50 km/h which is 31 mph, and they can jump up to 2 meters which is 7 feet and to that they are damn strong swimmer and move through water damn fast when they want to.

These birds are omnivorous with their diet consisting of seeds, fruits, flowers, shoots, and insects like beetles and grasshoppers. They will travel long distances to find food and water, often forming loose groups called “mobs.”

They will mate for life in the wild, the female will lay 7–10 large dark green eggs, each about 13 cm long, but it the male who incubates the eggs for ~60 days and raises the chicks, while the female often moves on to mate again.

Now are you wondering what they sound like, well the female makes a deep, low-pitched sounds that can sound like drumming and often described as a hollow and resonant sound. These calls can carry for long distances and are used for communication, especially during breeding season. Males tend to sound like a soft grunt.

These calls are used to attract mates, signal territory, or keep contact with other emus.

Have you heard of the Emu War of 1932 this was a war us humans lost, the Australian army tried to cull emus damaging crops, but the birds proved too elusive. Despite firing 10,000 rounds of ammunition, fewer than 1,000 were killed, and the “war” was considered a failure.