Reproduction

The male and female emus will start to form breeding pairs in summer and will stay together for about 5 months when they will begin to mate.

Males take on responsibility for almost all aspects of hatching and raising the young.

A male emu will build a nest which is made out of leaves, twigs and grass on the ground for the female, who will then lay the eggs over several days. She can lay between 5 and 20 eggs.

Once the female has laid all the eggs she will wander off and may even find another emu to mate with, she can have up to three different clutches per season all with different mates.

The male emu will then be left to carry out the eight week incubation period. Prior to this he has built up a fat store off of which to live as he will not eat during this time. Over the incubation period he can lose up to one-third of his body weight.

Emu eggs are very large weighing about 450 to 650 grams. They are thick shelled and dark green or bluish in color. One egg has the same mass as 10-12 chicken eggs.

Once the chicks hatch they can almost immediately care for themselves. They remain with the father for up to 18 months learning how to stay safe. He also provides protection till they are large enough to do this themselves.

At birth they stand an average 12cm (5 in) tall and weigh about 0.5kg (18 oz).

They are born with brown and cream stripes which help to camouflage them till their feathers come in, these stripes fade at about 3 months.

Sexual maturity is reached between 2 and 3 years old.

Behavior

Emus typically stay together in pairs or family groups consisting of the male and his offspring, but may form into large flocks when they are travelling to a food source.

Emus can travel large distances to reach good feeding areas. In Western Australia emus move following a seasonal pattern, going north in the summer and south in the winter.

Emus sleep during the night but do not sleep continuously for the whole night, they can wake up several times during the night to either feed or go to the toilet. Emus sit down to sleep and it seems that this is also helpful to camouflage them as they look like a small hill when sleeping. They sleep for about 7 hours each day.

Emus have a pouch in their throat that is used for communication. They inflate the pouch and this allows them to make drumming, grunting and booming sounds. These sounds are usually used during courtship and the breeding season and can be heard up to 2kms (1.2miles) away. They can also make a very loud hissing sound which is very effective at scaring off dingoes.

Emus and are not afraid of water and can swim well.

When running their stride can be about 2.7m (9 feet) long. An emu may reach speeds of up to 48 km/h (30 mph). They are the only bird with calf muscles which helps with this.

Predators and Threats

Few predators of the emu exist. These include the dingo and wedge-tailed eagle. Young may be threatened by snakes and goannas.

Introduced species including feral dogs, pigs and foxes will hunt young.

When threatened they will hiss, ruffle their feathers or kick an opponent. They have sharp claws which are used to inflict wounds on their predators. These animals can also run in a zig-zag pattern to help escape predators.

The population is considered stable and currently 630,000-725,000 mature individuals are currently estimated to make up the population.

Their migrations are often interrupted by the presence of fences including the dog fence. These may cause a number of these birds to be crushed.

In some areas this species is considered a pest of cereal crops.

Emu farms exist in Australia primarily collect oil which is used for lotions, soaps and shampoo.

Quick facts

The emus legs are very strong and powerful and can even tear down metal wire fences.

Emus are featured on the coat of arms of Australia and as such are also present on the 50c coin.

An instance of identical twins was found in emus. This is the first time this was recorded in birds.