Emu belong to a group of flightless birds called ratites, which is the oldest form of birds and includes cassowaries, ostriches and rheas. They're the second largest birds in the world, after ostriches, standing up to 190cm tall and weighing 55kg.

They have shaggy grey-brown to black plumage. The bare skin around their face and neck is a striking blue-black colour. Emu chicks are grey with black or brown stripes, helping them camouflage from predators. Their vestigial ‘winglets’, hidden under shaggy plumage, are only 20cm long.

They may be flightless, but by golly they can run! With their powerful legs, emus can reach speeds of 50kph with a running stride of 3 metres.

Little wonder their Latin genus name ‘Dromaius’ is taken from the Greek word for ‘racer’.

The Emu Constellation. Photo Rebecca Diete at Naree Reserve, NSW.

The emu constellation

Emus feature prominently in Aboriginal stories and culture. They’re the inspiration behind dances, the subject of astrological mythology and other creation stories. The emu constellation is well known throughout Australia, with it's position in the sky indicating the best time to collect Emu eggs.

As well as being an important food source, the fat of Emus is used for oil, their bones for knives, tendons for string, and feathers for ceremonial adornments. However, the word ‘Emu’ is not an Aboriginal name – it derives from the Arabic or Portuguese word for ‘large bird’.

Where do Emus live?

Emus are only found in Australia. They’re highly nomadic and their range covers most of the mainland. Emus were once found in Tasmania, but were exterminated by early Europeans. The two dwarf species that inhabited Kangaroo Island and King Island are now also extinct.

An Emu’s preferred habitat includes open plains but they’re also found in snowfields, forests and savannah woodlands. They seldom inhabit highly populated areas, rainforests or arid regions, but permanent water sources for stock have increased numbers in more arid areas.

Paternal care

Emus are champions of paternal care. After helping to prepare a nest, the female lays 5 to 15 large dark-green eggs, then promptly wanders off to breed again. The nest is a platform on the ground of trampled grass 1m to 2m in diameter.

The male then incubates eggs for 55 days. He doesn’t eat, drink or defecate, and rarely leaves the nest during this time, losing up to 8kg in the process.

He stays with the young for two years, defending them and teaching them how to find food. While they walk and forage they softly whistle to each other. The chicks can reproduce at 18 months. Emus live for 5 to 10 years in the wild.

Emus are active in the day and sleep at night. They’re omnivores, eating fruits, seeds, flowers, shoots, insects, snails, small animals and animal droppings.

They’re important seed dispersers. Like Cassowaries, they swallow stones to help them grind food in their gizzard. They can go for weeks without eating, and walk for up to 25km a day in search of food!

Normally silent, Emus make deep booming, guttural noises during the breeding season. The boom can be heard up to 2km away!

Emus also love to swim, flopping into the water and soaking their feathers. Our remote monitoring cameras on Monjebup Creek in Western Australia captured this great photo of a father Emu taking his chicks for a dip.

A remote monitoring camera has captured a father Emu taking his chicks for a swim at Monjebup Creek Reserve, WA.

Threats to Emus

Emus have keen eyesight and hearing. If attacked from above they run in a zigzag pattern and when threatened they hiss, puff up feathers and, if necessary, kick the opponent or predator. The sharp claws on the end of their three toes can inflict deep wounds.

Aside from Dingoes and Wedge-tailed Eagles, adult Emus have few natural predators. Eggs and chicks are eaten by feral dogs, pigs, eagles, foxes, snakes and goannas.

According to the IUCN their conservation status is of ‘least concern’. In Australia there are between 625,000 to 725,000 wild emus. Globally they have been farmed for their meat, leather and oil.

The main threats to Emus are habitat loss and fragmentation , vehicle collision and deliberate slaughter. Fences (such as dog fences) interfere with Emu movement and migration, with many birds crushed when groups are trapped by these fences.

As they can damage wheat crops, Emus were once killed in large numbers. They’re now protected under federal legislation and have been reintroduced to Tasmania.

What’s Bush Heritage doing?

We have Emus on many of our reserves. We’re protecting emu chicks by reducing feral cat, fox and pig populations. We remove internal fences and reduce competition from stock and feral herbivores.