What is an EMU?
Emu are members of the Ratite family of flightless birds, which have small or underdeveloped wings. Emu, the worlds second largest living bird have survived 80 million years in their native Australia where they are found in the deserts, forests and on the plains. Emu were originally imported to the United States from 1930 to 1950 as exotic zoo stock. In 1960, the Emu was designated Australia’s national bird, and an Australian government ban on exporting the Emu has been in effect for over 30 years. Emu are curious and docile. They are about 10-inches tall at birth, with black and white stripes. As 3-month-old chicks, they turn nearly solid black and change into a tan, brown and black mixture as adults, some having a bluish neck. The feathers are downy, with no stiff vein running through the center. Emu, when mature, stand 5 to 6 feet tall, weigh up to 150 lbs. and are long-lived (up to 30 yrs. recorded by zoos). Emu are strong runners reaching 60 km/hr. in short bursts taking 9 ft. str
This is an Emu (pronounced E-moo if you are from the United States or E-mew if you are Australian). My birds were hatched in the states, so we call them E-moo. Poe-ta-toe, Poe-tat-o, tater – make your own choice. Dromaius Novaehollandiae is comprised of three subspecies which are interbreeding in the wild as well as on farms. These are Dromaius novaehollandiae novaehollandiae, Dromaius novaehollandiae woodwardi and Dromaius novaehollandiae rothschildi. The emu is originally from Australia and is in the ratite family of birds. There are only 5 birds in the ratite family, the ostrich, emu, cassowary, rhea and kiwi. Ratite is from the Latin meaning raft. This is because of their breastbone, which is flat. There is no breast meat like on a chicken, which has a keel type breastbone. Because of this flat breastbone, ratites do not fly. They have no muscles to support the wings. When it is about 1 year old, it’ll be between 5 1/2 to 6 feet tall and weigh between 80 to 100 pounds. A mature bir
The Emu is Australia’s largest native bird, and the second largest bird in the world. The Ostrich is the largest bird in the world, inhabiting Africa and parts of Asia. The word Emu comes from the Portuguese word ema’ which means large bird. The Emu grows to be about 185 centimetres (6 feet) tall and weighs 65 kilograms (140 pounds). This is bigger than many adult humans! The Emu belongs to a group of flightless running birds with flat breastbones known as ratites. Ratites are the oldest of modern bird families and whilst they do have wings, they are not used for flying. Emu wings are about the size of a hand and are useful in hot weather helping the bird to cool itself. What the Emu lacks in flying it certainly makes up for in running. The Emu’s powerful legs enable it to run impressively fast, up to 50 kilometres per hour (kph). Emus are also skilled swimmers in fact they love to play in water or mud. Adult Emus are covered with shaggy grey-brown feathers which are primitive and look
The emu, family Dromaiideae, is a large flightless bird found only in Australia. Though it cannot fly, it moves quickly on sturdy legs. It is the only bird in its family – two species have been extinct since the early 1800’s, but today’s Emus are in no danger. Emus range across most of Australia eating mostly plants and migrating to new areas where food is abundant. They move in huge flocks and can demolish food crops very quickly, prompting the installation of many miles of fencing around agricultural lands.
