19 Interesting And Cool Emu Facts

Emus are the second-largest birds on the planet. They are part of the states with the ostrich. Emus are only seen in Australia. They are the largest birds of the continent of Australia. Emu birds are humongous. The body of the bird is covered with soft feathers. Emus have a long neck and legs. They travel long distances in search of food and living space. The emus are the only extant subspecies of the genus Dromaius. The other three were the Tasmanian, Kangaroo Island, and King Island subspecies. These subspecies went extinct from the time of European settlement in Australia. Emu birds cant fly. Rather they are fast on their legs.

The name emu comes from the Portuguese word ema. The word ema means a large bird akin to an ostrich or crane. Emus are native to Australia. The birds were not known to the word out of Australia till 1696. European explorers reported the bird to the outer world at the time. Emus were first mentioned in the writing of Arthur Phillip. In his 1789 publication Voyage to Botany Bay, he described the bird. The emu is the second-highest bird in the world. Female emus are larger than mal emus. Adult male emus weigh 31 kgs on average and female emus about 37 kgs on average. Adult emus pair up and make a nest. The emus reproduce through eggs.

Emus are famous for their size. They are significantly important for the natural ecosystem of Australia. Emus were a source of food for aboriginal people and European settlers. Emus are known to be curious. They sometimes follow and observe humans. Usually, emus are not aggressive to humans. Emus also has a role in the life and culture of the aboriginal people of Australia. It is mind-blowing to see an emu walking majestically on the grasslands of Australia. Though most of us know about emus as they are pretty fascinating birds. There are some little known facts about the bird. These are some amazing emu facts:

Emus appeared at least 50 million years ago. Some sources suggest that emus can be evolved from flying ancestors.

There are no exact answers to why emus are so big. Scientists suggest that there may be a period between the extinction and evolution of other mammals when birds like emus found no predators. So they lost the ability to fly and got big.

Emu population is estimated between 630,000 and 725,000 birds. Emus are native to Australia and not seen anywhere in the world.

Emu is the national bird of Australia. The Australian Government declared emu as the national bird of Australia in the 1960s.

Emus can up to the speed of 50 km per hour. They usually run when hunting.

Emus eat plants and small insects. Acacia, Casuarina, and grasses are their favorites among plants. They like to eat small insects like beetles, cotton-boll moth larvae, and spiders.

Emus can survive several weeks without eating anything. But they drink a lot of water at that time.

Emus are loyal to partner and usually mate for a lifetime. Males build a nest in a place where they can clearly see their surroundings.

Female emus begin laying eggs at the age of two or three. Emus lay 10-20 eggs per clutch.

Emu eggs are dark green in color. Eggs are one of the largest in nature and weigh about 650 grams.

The incubation period of emu eggs are one of the longest in the bird kingdom. It takes 56 days of incubation to hatch emu eggs.

The emu offsprings are raised by fathers and usually live as a family unit till the next breeding season.

Emu eyes have secondary eyelids. These eyelids are known as nictitating membranes. These membranes move horizontally and protect the eyes of an emu from dust and excessive wind.

Emus have three toes on their leg. Their leg is long and strong. The longs legs help them to be good runners and swimmers.

Emus have a life span of 5-10 years on average. The longest living emu is the Old Pepe is living for over 58 years now.

Emus has several vocalizations. They can make a loud booming noise. They create the booming sound by 12 inches long inflatable neck sac.

Emus can create loud booming sounds that can be heard from 2 miles away. Usually made by female emus makes the booming sound.

Human lost a war against Emus, In 1932. That year Australian authority employed soldiers armed with Lewis guns. They tried to control the number of Emus but failed. This incident is known as the Great Emu War. Humans lost the war against these birds.

Outside Australia, emus are farmed on a large scale in North America, with about 1 million birds in the US.

Emus are a wonder of nature. They are living on the planet for millions of years. Emus are an important part of the aboriginal culture of Australia. Australian aboriginal mythology features the bird many times. Emus conservation status is classified as being of least concern by IUCN. This is all we have on the Emu birds today. Thanks for reading.

5 Best Bird Identification Apps