The Emu is a huge, flightless bird and is on the Australian Coat of Arms. It may be seen all over mainland Australia except in the rainforest.

Emus must drink regularly and are usually found within walking distance of water.

They have shaggy, grey brown feathers, long necks and long legs. The bare skin on the neck and face is pale blue. The female is larger than the male.

Emus make far carrying, booming, drumming calls. These fast running birds live in small mobs and eat green plants, seeds and insects.

A male Emu incubates between 5 and 15 dark green eggs in a scrape on the ground for about 55 days. He cares for the striped chicks for about 6 months. The female neither broods the eggs nor cares for the chicks.

When European settlers arrived there were three island species of the emu. These are now extinct. Today Emus may be farmed for leather, meat and oil.