Emu

The emu is a tall, feathery bird that lives in Australia. It is the biggest bird in the whole country, standing almost as tall as a doorway, with a long neck, long legs, and a shaggy coat of soft brown feathers.

Emus cannot fly, but they do not need to. Instead they are wonderful runners. Their strong legs can carry them across the open land very fast, quicker than most people can pedal a bike, and they can keep running for a long way.

Emus are omnivores, so they eat many different things. As they wander about they peck up seeds, fruits, flowers, and juicy green shoots, and they also snap up insects. They walk long distances looking for their favourite foods.

One of the most surprising things about emus is how their families work. The mother lays big green eggs, and then it is the father who does all the hard work. He sits on the eggs to keep them warm for about eight weeks, hardly leaving them at all.

When the chicks hatch, they are covered in cream and brown stripes that help them hide in the grass. The father emu stays with his stripy chicks and looks after them for many months, walking with them and showing them where to find food until they are big enough to look after themselves.

There are lots of emus living across Australia today, and their numbers are healthy. They roam the grasslands and woodlands freely, and people enjoy spotting these big, curious birds striding across the countryside.