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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing rheas. Rheas look so similar to other flightless birds they’re also known as the South American ostrich. Unsurprisingly, they live in South America. Rheas can be told apart from ostriches by looking at their feet: ostriches have two toes while rheas have three. They’re a little more difficult to differentiate from emus, but, apart from living on opposite sides of the world from each other, rhea feathers generally look more chunky because they don’t come in that split design the way emu feathers do.

There are two recognized rhea species: the greater rhea and lesser rhea. The lesser rhea is smaller reaching about 3 feet (1m) tall compared to the greater rhea’s 5 foot (1.5m) height. In both species, males are slightly larger than females. Like emus and cassowaries, the boys take care of the eggs. Rheas travel in groups with numbers reaching up to 30 individuals. They may also travel with other animals like deer and guanacos. During the breeding season, which loosely happens in the wet season as the weather heads towards summer time, males compete with each other. These ratites have larger wings relative to their size compared to other flightless birds. These wings have claws on which are effective weapons against foes, they may also spread their wings out for intimidation displays. The male decides on the nesting spot and scrapes together a nest on the ground. After mating with any of the 2 to 12 females he’s won over, they’ll lay eggs in his nest one by one over the course of a few days. As the nest gets more full the male gets more aggressive and the females may lay further and further away until he can no longer reach the eggs to pull them into the nest and they rot. This is okay, however, because the rotting eggs attract flies which the male and later the chicks can eat.

At this point the females move on to mate with other males and will partake in this process up to six times in a season laying upwards of 40 eggs each! The male won’t begin fully incubating the eggs for about a week. It’s not known why this delay in incubation exists. Protecting his nest and caring for his young afterwards is physically taxing, so only about 20% of males try to keep a nest any given year; the others form bachelor flocks the babies might join after parting ways with their father. The male rhea incubates his eggs for about 40 days and once the first chick hatches they all start hatching. He’ll move them from the nest after a few days and they’ll follow him for the next six months at which point they’ll branch off and join their own flocks. They’re ready to breed at about 2-3 years old. The rhea’s lifespan isn’t known with certainty, though they likely live at least a decade or two in the wild and possibly longer in captivity.

Rhea egg predators include foxes and armadillos; adults may be taken by cougars and pampas cats. They can run from predators at speeds of over 35mph (56kmh) often in zigzag patterns, but they’ve been known to plop down on the ground in order to try to blend in and avoid detection. They also take dust baths, so they’ll roll on the ground for that, too They can also use their wings to turn quickly like emus,

Rheas are active during the day and eat mostly plant material like seeds and grasses though they may occasionally take animal food like insects, small rodents and reptiles. They’ve even been known to snack on each other’s poop from time to time. They eat small stones to help with digestion, as well. Rheas prefer open grassland environments though may also take to arid forests and even swamps. They actually seem to have a preference for areas near water, though they get most of their water from their diet.

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