A fast runner
An emu can run at 30 miles an hour, with strides nearly three metres long.
The outback
Emu
Dromaius novaehollandiae
A tall, shaggy, brown bird that cannot fly, with a bare blue neck and long strong legs.
- Size
- Up to 1.9m tall: the second biggest bird
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- Open country over most of Australia
Strides after you, and trots when you get ahead. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Emu
Good to know
Six things about the emu
Dad sits on the eggs
The male sits on the dark green eggs for eight weeks, hardly eating or drinking, then raises the chicks.
A booming drum
The female makes a deep booming sound, from a pouch in her throat, that carries for over a mile.
Double feathers
Each emu feather has two shafts, which makes the coat loose and shaggy and keeps the sun off.
Following the rain
Emus walk hundreds of miles to find places where rain has fallen.
Swallowing stones
They swallow pebbles, which grind up tough food in the stomach.
The real thing
Photos of the emu
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Emus are curious, and often walk up to look at you. Look for a line of them crossing a plain, heads bobbing.
How to help
Emus are common. Fences that let them pass, and careful driving, help them on their long walks.
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