The Emu

The Emu

Blossom’s_Photo_Gallery

The Emu is a large flightless bird. The word emu comes from the Portuguese word ‘ema’, which means ‘large bird’.

Warrumbungle National Park, Country New South Wales, Australia. ========================================================
“The Emu” is donated to the Wildlife_Appeal_Group for the wildlife victims of the Victorian Bushfires. All of the proceeds will go to WRAP (Wildlife Rescue And Protection Incorporated) ========================================================

The Emu stand to be 1.5 to 2 metres tall, and on average weight 36 kilograms. They have 3 toes and long legs which allow them to run extremely fast (some running up to 50 km per hour – At full pace, an emu’s stride can measure up to 3m). In this species, the female is larger than the male.

The emu’s feathers are very primitive and look like a form of coarse hair. The special nature of these feathers enables emus to cope with extreme changes in weather.

Emus eat a wide variety of leaves, grasses, fruits, native plants, and insects. In spring and summer, their diet consists mainly of flowers and seeds. In autumn, as those foods become scarce, they graze on young grass which sprouts after summer rains. In winter, herbs form the emu’s main food. They eat insects when these are available – such as during grasshopper plagues.

The female lays up to 20 eggs, which are large and are soft dark green in colour. These eggs are often prized not only by humans for decoration pieces, but by animals as a food source. The male incubates the eggs for a period of 7-8 weeks, and does not leave the nest for this period. When the eggs hatch, the male emu looks after the hatchlings for another six months.

Amazing Fact: The Emu is the world’s third largest bird. The Ostrich and the Cassowary take the top positions.

Animal Facts: The nest of an Emu can be up to 1.5 metres wide!

Emus do not have the option of flying away if under attack from predators. If attacked from above by other birds such as the wedge-tailed eagle, emus will run in a zigzag pattern. However, at close quarters their main defence is a swift kick or two with their powerful legs.

The emu is a hardy bird and will survive in most parts of Australia’s rugged environment, but it avoids thickly forested regions. It thrives in remote places like the dry plains at Australia’s centre, the tropical woodlands to the north, and the cold snowfields of the high country.

Canon PowerShot A650 IS
12.1MP – 6x Optical Zoom – 4x Digital Zoom

The Emu belongs to the following groups:

**Wildlife-Appeal**, Australian Bush ☼, Australian Wildlife, New South Wales Photography, Rural NSW, Safe Haven and The Birds Available for sale as

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