Greater rhea

Habitat: Greater rhea roam in groups across open plains, grazing on grass, often in the company of other grazers.

Appearance: A South American ratite. It is an introduced species in Europe.

Breeding season: April – May. A single male mates with up to 12 females. The females lay their eggs in his ground nest. A hen lays about 15 yellow eggs. The male then incubates the eggs, up to 60 in number. The male also raises the chicks for about six weeks. Males and females do not form permanent pairs.

Characteristics: A rhea looks very similar to an ostrich, but is significantly smaller and lighter. An adult rhea is about 90 to 150 cm long and weighs 20 kg. Other differences from an ostrich are that a rhea has three toes instead of two and that the sexes are almost indistinguishable. Rhea have mainly brown, grey or white plumage, with a white underbody. During the breeding season, males have a black ring around the lower neck. In Brazil, rhea are caught for their feathers.

Food: Rhea eat a variety of animal and plant foods.