Emu ostrich - description, habitat, interesting facts

Australia is famous for its wildlife, which lives on the territory of the state. An obvious representative of such is an ostrich with dark plumage, which was nicknamed the emu. His homeland is the aforementioned country, but these feathered friends are also common on the territory of our homeland. Their distinguishing feature is considered to be quick adaptation to climatic conditions, as well as the ability to tolerate cold, even at a mark of minus 20. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, revealing the maps. We study the features in turn.

Description

1. The feathered tribe of this species is considered a cassowary unit. These are quite large individuals, which can reach 1.8 m in height of the body with a body weight of 60 kg. Interestingly, the pitch of these birds is 2.5 meters, you can only imagine. Of course, this characteristic allows birds to quickly move on land. They reach speeds of up to 55 km / h and even more.
2. Otherwise, ostriches are called Australian. Their distinguishing characteristic is the ability to swim quickly. Some ostrich representatives are completely deprived of such a skill. An individual of the family under discussion cannot be called waterfowl. However, it can easily cross from one bank of the slowly flowing river to the other. Other non-swimming individuals cannot boast such an ability.
3. Due to their overall characteristics, emu are among the largest birds in the world. In this list they occupy an honorable second place. Individuals are famous for their excellent hearing and vision, so they catch danger at a great distance (up to 300 meters).
4. Birds are kept on various farms that specialize in displaying individuals to humans. Emu get used to people quickly, so usually there are no difficulties with the content. They are obstinate, but with the right approach are malleable to education.
5. Considering the description of individuals of this breed group, it should be noted that they can not fly. Hence the undeveloped wings, which do not exceed 25 cm in length. There are growths on the tips of the wings that are outwardly similar to the claws. The rest of the emu are powerful and developed.
6. The legs are strong, the articular parts are lubricated enough. Each claw has three clawed fingers. If an individual gets angry, it will inflict damage on the enemy precisely with its paws. Cases were recorded in which a fight with an ostrich ended in death.
7. According to the color of the plumage, the birds are grayish with a brown tint. Feathers are soft and uniform, fluffy, stick out in different directions. Thanks to this color, the representatives of the group are masked and become invisible, despite decent dimensions. These individuals do not have requirements for the temperature regime of the environment in which they live. Ostriches perfectly tolerate cold, up to a decrease of up to -20 degrees.
8. As for the differences in gender, they are practically absent. Females from males differ only in behavior. The males attract beautiful ladies with their exclamations. In terms of plumage, birds are identical.

Habitat

1. The natural habitat refers to places with a small number of people and vegetation. At the same time, climatic zones should not be arid. Ideal for ostriches Australian environment.
2. Birds avoid the danger coming from predators, preferring to stay close to roads. They suffer less from people than from enemies from the animal world.
3. Emu are pests, so farmers do not like them. Individuals climb onto plowed and sown fields, destroy shoots and bathe in the cultivated land. They trample the crop.
4. By their natural characteristics, they live up to 20 years.However, most die by 13-15 years. When kept in captivity, they will reach 25 years.

Food

1. The considered individuals mainly eat plant food. However, almost all birds of this species prefer this food. The presented ostriches love to enjoy the shoots of plants, young roots, seeds and buds. Also, birds love various fruits.
2. In addition, individuals actively include cereals in their diet. For the same reason, ostriches often raid agricultural fields. Because of what are considered pests. So that birds do not have digestive problems, they often swallow small pebbles and sand.
3. If you are going to contain such individuals yourself, then such components must be present in their diet. As for young animals, they mainly need protein food. In such a period, they grow very quickly.
4. Up to 8 months of age, young individuals must be given small rodents, various insects, worms and lizards. Such facts must be taken into account if you are going to grow individuals on a farm. If the nutrition is poor, then the birds can grow inferior.

Breeding

1. Ostriches reach puberty at the age of 2 years. At the same time, the females are already starting to lay their eggs. The mating season in the considered individuals often falls in the middle of winter. This applies to wildlife.
2. When keeping ostriches on a farm, their mating season falls in the spring. It is worth noting that the male is engaged in the siting of the future offspring. Females lay eggs in one nest, after which the male takes on his work. Females never do such things.
3. The eggs of the presented individuals are very large, the weight of which can reach up to 1 kg. When kept on a farm, special incubators are created for such eggs. In rare cases, small ostriches are bred in devices that are designed for goose offspring.
4. If you are an inexperienced breeder, then for the first time it will be difficult for you to remove an ostrich from an egg. Therefore, in your case, it is better to immediately acquire young growth. If you still decide to take a chance and get an egg, then for this you need a farm of sufficient size.
5. The eggs of the considered individuals differs from other relatives in that the shell has a rather bright and unusual color. Often it can be dark blue or dark green. After the chicks are born, they need careful care. For industrial purposes, such ostriches are very in demand.

Interesting Facts

1. When such ostriches begin to swim in the sand, they do not flounder like similar birds. You may notice that such individuals seem to swim, as in water.
2. The surprising fact is that in the presented individuals the size of the brain is equal to the size of their eyes.
3. Hatching eggs and further raising offspring is exclusively done by the male.
4. Almost all ostriches can feel comfortable at +45 degrees, and at -25 degrees without any problems.

Ostriches are quite interesting representatives of birds. You can find out a lot of amazing facts about them. As mentioned earlier, birds swallow sand and stones to improve digestion. They have such a way of feeding due to the fact that individuals are devoid of teeth. Therefore, they swallow whole food.

Video: Emu Ostrich (Dromaius novaehollandiae)