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EmuAboriginal names: "dhinawan" [gamilaraay], "atyimba", "boolongena", "kaltee", "miowera", "pinyali", "punnanumta", "wakaje", "warritcha" |
Sightings
We have encountered Emus in various parts of the Australian continent.
They are quite common in parts of rural New South Wales, such as the semi-arid plains, but also more mountainous country.
Interestingly, there are a lot of Emus in the valley of the Castlereagh River west of Coonabarabran, including Warrumbungle National Park and also throughout the Pilliga scrub, but there are hardly any in and around Mt. Kaputar National Park, less than 100 km further to the north. In general, Emus are less common around Narrabri than near Coonabarabran, just 100 km further south, possibly due to more intensive agriculture (broadacre farming) in the Narrabri region.
Also seen by us in March 2008 in the (at the time dry) floodplains of the Darling River between Brewarrina and Menindee and also further west, towards the Flinders and Gammon Ranges in South Australia.
Photos
An adult with two immature Emus at our former neighbour's property, 20 km south of Narrabri, New South Wales (click on image for larger version)
Adult, probably male, Emu in Warrumbungle National Park, 30 km west of Coonabarabran, New South Wales (click on image for larger version)
"French Can-can a la Emu" (click on image for larger version)
Portrait of an old Emu (click on image for larger version)
Immature Emu (click on image for larger version)
Portrait of an immature Emu (click on image for full-size display)
Distant view of two Emu chicks on a dirt road; they were seen in September 2008 and at the time about 0.5 m tall
Emu chick seen from behind, fleeing through tall grass (click on image for larger version)
Eggs
Emu eggs are dark-green, of order 13 cm long and have a structured surface.
Emu egg; click on image to gauge the size of an Emu egg [of about 13 cm])
Habits
Family groups of up to 10 in total, slowly progressing while searching for food. When approached by humans take flight into cover at high speed, except where used to the presence of humans, as e.g. near picknick areas in remote natural parks.
Usually seen foraging in open grasslands, but not in springtime, when first they are breeding, a male lying on the nest well-camouflaged (while the rest of the flock is feeding elsewhere) and then rearing their chicks in dense woodland. They come back out into the open grasslands again when the chicks are relatively safe from predators.