Emu

The Emu is Australia's largest native bird and the second-tallest bird in the world after the Ostrich. It has soft, shaggy grayish-brown plumage, a long neck, and long powerful legs adapted for covering great distances. The feathers have a distinctive double-shaft structure that gives the plumage its loose, hair-like appearance.

Emus are nomadic wanderers, capable of traveling long distances in search of food and water across Australia's varied interior landscapes.

Key Field Marks

• Tall, flightless body with shaggy brown-gray plumage
• Long bluish-gray neck, often with sparse dark feathering
• Small head and short bill
• Powerful long legs with three-toed feet
• Distinctive rolling, loping gait

Similar Species

• Unmistakable in Australia — no other bird resembles it
• The Southern Cassowary is smaller-necked in comparison, has a bony helmet-like casque, brightly colored blue-and-red neck skin, and lives only in dense tropical rainforest, unlike the Emu's open-country habitat

Range

Endemic to mainland Australia, absent from Tasmania and dense rainforest; found across most of the continent except the most arid deserts and densely urbanized coasts.

Habitat

Open sclerophyll forest, woodland, savanna, and semi-arid shrubland, favoring areas with a mix of open ground for walking and cover for shelter.

Migration

Not truly migratory but highly nomadic, moving long distances seasonally in response to rainfall, food, and water availability.

Behavior

Usually solitary or in loose pairs outside breeding season, though large aggregations can form near abundant food. Strong swimmers when needed and capable of running up to 50 km/h (31 mph).

Voice

Females produce a deep, resonant drumming or booming sound using an inflatable neck sac; males give low grunts and softer guttural noises.

Feeding

Omnivorous, eating seeds, fruits, growing shoots, and insects; often follows rainfall to find fresh plant growth and swallows stones to aid digestion.

Nesting & Breeding

Role reversal is notable: after the female lays a clutch of large dark green eggs in a ground nest, the male alone incubates them for about 8 weeks and then raises the striped chicks, while the female may go on to mate with other males.