Emu
Origin: Australia and Tasmania

Latin Name: Dromaius novaehollandiae

Habitat: Forest or Savannah woodland

Diet: Crickets, beetles, grasshoppers as well as plants and grasses

Lifespan: Up to 40 years

Average Size: Weight: 45kg, Height: 160cm, Length: 140cm

Characteristics:

The emu is the second-largest living bird by height, after its relative the ostrich. They are flightless birds but can travel great dis-tances and can sprint at 50kmph. Emus have a grey-brown plumage of shaggy ap-pearance, the shafts and tips of the feather being a dull black colour. Their neck is a pale blue and shows through its sparse feathers. Emus predominately travel in pairs, and while they can form large flocks, this is an atypical social behaviour that arises from the common need to move to-wards a new food source.