The Behavior of Emus

The emu is the second largest bird in the world, and the largest in Australia. It is part of the ratite family and is a flightless bird. Emus' wings are small and do not enable flight, but their legs are long and powerful. They can maintain a speed of 30 miles an hour for a good distance. Emus, unlike other birds, have calf muscles. They can jump straight up 7 feet into the air.

  1. Description

    • Emus have feathers that are light brown and soft. The ends have dark tips. They are tall birds, with a height range of 5 to 6.5 feet. Emus weigh up to 130 lbs. These birds have sharp beaks, tiny ears and long necks. Their two sets of eyelids are for blinking and preventing dust from going in their eyes.

    Eating Habits

    • Emus eat both plants and animals. The types of plants they consume depends upon the season. Until the rains come, they eat acacia seeds. Then they eat caterpillars and new grass shoots. During the winter they eat the pods and leaves of Cassia. Once spring comes they eat grasshoppers, fruit and beetles. Emus usually forage during the day. One of the emu's valuable contributions to its habitat is eating fruit and leaving the whole seeds in its droppings, helping to fertilize and disperse seeds.

    Habitat &Migration

    • The ratite family of birds lives only in the Southern Hemisphere. Emus live only on the Australian mainland in a variety of habitats, including heartland and desert shrublands, sandplains, mallee, Eucalypti forest and woodland. Even though emus normally are loners, they do form migratory flocks to search for food. Emus living in Western Australia have seasonal migratory patterns. In the summer they travel northward, while in the winter they travel southward.

    Reproduction

    • Emu nest full of eggs

      Breeding for emus begins in the summer when they choose a single mate for the season. In the fall the female lays her first clutch of eggs. The male builds the nest out of grass, leaves and twigs. Over the next several days the female lays anywhere between five and 15 eggs. It is the male who incubates the eggs for the next eight weeks. He only gets up to turn the eggs. During this time he loses up to one-third of his body weight. Some females seek out another mate at this time, lay more eggs and leave the second male to incubate this clutch. Sometimes she will find another emu pair and lay her eggs in their nest. A female may lay up to three clutches in one season.

    Threats

    • An emu subspecies used to live on Tasmania, but soon became extinct after the arrival of Europeans in 1865. Human encroachment on their natural habitat has forced emus out of Australia's east coast where they were once prolific. At the same time, in areas once too dry for emus, agricultural development and water brought in for livestock have created new habitats for emus. Wildfires and droughts also threaten their survival.