Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Creature Feature #214: Emu

The Emu is a large flightless Ratite, found in the open woodland and savannah of Australia. She predominently lives in pairs. Her diet is omnivorous, she dines on seeds, fruit and grasses as well as invertebrates, and play an important role in seed dispersal. It is the female that courts the male, becoming physically more attractive as the breeding season nears. She parades around the male drawing her neck back, puffing out her feathers and calling to him, encouraging him to mate with her. Aggressive behaviour will be directed at rival females, usually beginning with a staring match but occasionally turning to kicking and chasing.

No comments: