Jenny Jepson, age 12, of Portland, Ore., for her question:
WHAT SORT OF BIRD IS THE EMU?
One might mistake a group of emus for a party of teen age ostriches. However, the native home of the ostrich is Africa, and the emu belongs to Australia. In fact, he appears with the kangaroo on Australia's official coat of arms.
Australia's handsome emu is the second largest living bird. He stands 6 feet tall and weighs about 100 pounds. This makes him too heavy to fly, but he is a great runner. His long, strong legs can cover the ground in 9 foot strides, and he can sprint at 40 m.p.h. His helpless little wings are hidden under his dusky beige plumage, which feels like long silky fur.
He is a friendly character who shares his life with a group of friends and relatives. He is interested in people, though farmers often regard him as a pest. Sometimes he follows a person wearing glasses or some other interesting bright object. The emu likes to swallow things of this sort to help him to digest the grubs, bugs and tough vegetation in his diet.
Flocks of emus thrive on the plains, in the woods and deserts all across Australia except in the thick rain forests of the northeast. They become unpopular when they feed on growing crops. However, this may be unfair, for the big birds also devour hoards of destructive insects.
The male and female look alike, though their voices are different. She has a special air sac attached to her windpipe which enables her to utter loud, booming calls. He is limited to low, growling sounds. Though the female is slightly larger, all the child care is taken over by the male.
In February, which is the fall of the year in Australia, the father emu prepares a nest under a tree or bush. He scoops a hollow in the ground 3 feet wide and lines it with weedy grasses. Then the female lays eight, nine or ten large dark green eggs and departs. The father bird nestles down on the nest and stays for the next eight weeks.
The sassy chicks wear eye catching light and dark stripes from head to tail. At once they are ready to leave the nest, and the father bird has his hands full. Soon they can find their own food. But the faithful father guards them until they are 18 months old. At the age of 2, the young emus are ready to raise families of their own.