Skip to main content

Emu: Australia's largest bird



The emu is a common Australian bird with beady eyes (with excellent sight) and a curious nature. The emu is the second largest bird in the world, second to its relative the ostrich – hence it is also a ratite. It is found across Australia, except in highly urban areas. As cities have developed emus have moved further away from dense urban regions, preferring bush and scrubland.

The emu is large – up to 2 metres tall (6 feet) – and like an ostrich, is has a long neck. Unlike the black and white feathers of the ostrich, the emu has brown feathers. Males and females look similar. Its neck has a blue tinge. It weighs up to 60 kilograms (132 pounds).


It can’t fly, but it can run quite fast – up to 30 kilometres per hour (30 miles per hour). The scientific Latin name (Dromaius novaehollandiae) means “fast-footed New Hollander” – because Australia was once called New Holland.

Its long legs enable the emu to take enormous strides. Its feet have strong, sharp claws (with three toes), and its beak is hard, with excellent strike power. Hence, it can be quite aggressive, especially when looking for food (at people’s picnics and barbecues).

Female emus circle the males during mating season, while stretching their necks backwards and puffing up their feathers. Females will fight for a prospective male (some fights last up to five hours), or stare at each other menacingly.

Males make the nest on the ground. Emu eggs are also large, like ostrich eggs, and are dark-green (10-20 of them per nest). Each egg is the equivalent in volume to 10-12 chicken eggs. Males incubate the eggs very diligently for about 8 weeks, and also look after the little emus (called chicks) until they reach full size, which takes six or seven months.

They sleep at night (by folding their legs on the ground), intermittently for up to seven hours, and become quite active during the day. They feed on plants, seeds, and insects. They also eat small pebbles to help them digest plants. And they have been known to eat car keys.

Emu fat is made into oil for healing skin ailments, because it has anti-inflammatory properties. The oil is great to rub into sore muscles.








They live between 10 to 20 years.
MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh  (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...
1 comment
Read more

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...
2 comments
Read more

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...
1 comment
Read more