Emu

Cheetah Chatter
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The emu exhibits nesting behavior where the male takes the lead in incubating and rearing. With the ostrich the male and a primary female do most of the work. Additional females will lay eggs in a nest sight but do not have much interaction with them. Both ostrich and emu have diets of varied plants and insects, ostrich have also been known to eat lizards and small tortoises. Both can sprint at around 30 mph, and both are in the ratite (birds having a flat breastbone) family. Many of Africa’s antelope and zebra populations benefit from hanging out around an animal with its eyes 8 feet off the ground, what a great early warning devise when predators are about.

Ostrich

The ostrich’s body is covered by large showy feathers with the males being a black color and the females brownish. The tips of the wings and the tails sport white feathers. The emu feathers are much smaller and colored in shades of brown. Emu possess the only feathers known to have two rachis (the shaft of a feather) emerging from a single calamus (quill). One great way to differentiate the two is to look at the feet. The ostrich is the only bird to have only two toes and only one of those toes has a claw. The emu will have three toes, each with a claw.

Emu Feathers

Ostrich Feathers

I try to explain to our guests that the ostrich are not mean, just think of them as teenage boys on the eating scale – always hungry and never shy about asking for food. If they bother you during your tour or drive just hide the food and see how quickly they tend to lose interest in you. Emus are much more exacting in their eating habits and can be observed picking up one piece of food at a time although many guests remark that their eyes have a disconcerting appearance.

At Fossil Rim you will find the ostrich in the first pasture as your enter for your wildlife drive. The emu will be in what we term the “buffer pasture” the small pasture across the second cattle guard on your drive.