The female may then find a second mate to start a second clutch. A hen can be productive for 20 years, laying between 20 and 50 eggs a year. This bird’s wings are virtually useless, as they cannot fly. At their necks and heads their feathers become sparse and inconsistent, showing greyish-blue skin underneath. The largest of these birds stands over 6 feet tall, and weighs up to 88 pounds or so.
The closest relative to the emu is a Cassowary, another flightless bird. Emus eat fruits, seeds, growing shoots of plants, insects, other small animals, and animal droppings. It lives throughout most of the continent, ranging from coastal regions to high in the Snowy Mountains. Emus were once found in Tasmania, but were exterminated soon after Europeans arrived. Two dwarf species of emus that lived on Kangaroo Island and King Island also became extinct.
Geographic Range
They usually travel in pairs although they can form huge flocks. They follow a hugo fx forex broker seasonal migration pattern, typically north in the summer and south in the winter although eastern emus seem to follow no pattern at all. They also make grunting sounds and a deep-throated drumming sound.
Each foot has three forward facing toes, each of which has a long toenail. When threatened, Emus use their muscular legs to kick and defend themselves. For the next 8 weeks after the eggs have been laid, the male will sit on the nest, carefully turning the eggs around 10 times each day. An average egg can measure 5 inches long and 3 inches wide and weigh up to 900 grams. As the egg laying period approaches, males will lose their appetite and begin to construct a nest using sticks, grass, leaves and bark. Emus have a soft pointed beak adapted for grazing and large eyes which are golden brown to black.
The Birds of Australia online publication
A pair of Emus may produce ten eggs a year under good captive conditions, which yield on average 5.5 chicks. At the end of 15 months, these would yield 4 square metres of leather, 150 kg of meat, 5.5 kg of feathers, and 2.7 litres of oil. Unusually among birds, the male is solely responsible for incubation, which lasts about 8 weeks.
Bird Attributes
The common emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) is stout-bodied and long-legged, like its relative the cassowary. Emus can alpari forex broker review dash away at nearly 50 km (30 miles) per hour; if cornered, they kick with their big three-toed feet. Emus mate for life; the male incubates 7 to 10 dark green eggs, 13 cm (5 inches) long, in a ground nest for about 60 days.
Males build the nest
- Females can mate several times and lay several clutches of eggs in one season.
- He also cares for the chicks for up to 18 months, defending them against predators and teaching them to forage.
- The closest relative to the emu is a Cassowary, another flightless bird.
- At their necks and heads their feathers become sparse and inconsistent, showing greyish-blue skin underneath.
- The emu is a large flightless bird species that is native to Australia, and is the only living member left of its genus.
During that time, he will rotate the eggs frequently, not leaving the nest to eat or drink. When the eggs hatch, the first thing he does is eat the eggshell to jump-start his digestive system. The chicks have been known to walk 20 miles during their first few days following the male. The rooster will watch over the chicks until they are grown. Female emus compete for access to males, while males build the nest and wait to be courted. Once a pair has mated, the female lays a clutch of eggs in the male’s nest over several days.
Emus live in eucalyptus forest, woodland, heath land, desert shrub lands and sand plains. It is found in desert areas only How to buy adax after heavy rains have caused growth of herbs and grasses and heavy fruiting of shrubs. Emus also live close to Australia’s big cities, but are no longer found where native vegetation has been cleared for agricultural land.
The emu’s feathers direct rain away from its body as it sleeps. Immelmann noted that a sleeping emu looked like an anthill from a distance, suggesting this trait may be an effective camouflage. According to Immelmann, the emus would retire at sunset, then spent up to 20 minutes squatting in bed before getting into their sleep position. Once in a deep sleep, however, “the Emu seems insensible to the reception of noise or visual stimuli,” Immelmann wrote.
