Ostrich rhea. The lifestyle and habitat of the rhea ostrich. Rhea - a complete description of the American "ostrich" Rhea species

The natural habitat of the American ostrich, the largest representative of its species, is South America. It is often confused with the African ostrich because they are very similar. The main differences between the two breeds are the number of toes on the paw and the plumage in the neck area.

The South American ostrich, according to archaeological excavations, was the first bird from its order to appear on Earth. For a long time, scientists could not understand to which zoological family the birds should be classified. There is still no consensus. Some believe that the rhea ostrich is the main representative of ostrich-like animals, others that it acquired ostrich-like features during the course of evolution, and still others classify it as a hidden-tailed species.

Flightless inhabitants of savannahs have been known to people since the 16th century. They were originally domesticated by the Indians, who used them for meat and feathers. In 1884, a description was given to the rhea order, and in 1849, the rhea family appeared, consisting of 2 species: the northern ostrich and the small one. Both are on the verge of extinction due to active hunting.

Description of the breed

The rhea ostrich is considered one of the largest birds in the world due to its large size. His height reaches 270 cm, weight - 175 kg, stride - 4 m. He quickly accelerates to 60 km/h, without slowing down even when cornering.

Characteristics of the appearance of rheas:

Protruding eyes;
Sexual dimorphism is expressed by the black body feathers of males;
Long neck covered with feathers, unlike the African ostrich;
Small head;
Oval body;
Strong legs with 3 toes each.

They live in flocks of up to 30 individuals, and during the mating season they split into pairs. Older individuals prefer a separate lifestyle. They coexist with sheep, deer, and cows.

While the flock is sleeping, one ostrich guards them in order to warn them of danger in time. At night, birds sleep, waking up every 15-20 minutes. They extend their long necks onto the sand or lay their heads on their bodies.

They run actively using their wings, which allows them to accelerate and maintain balance.

They defend themselves from enemies with sharp claws. One strong blow from a paw can kill a lion.

Predators are scared away by strongly stretching their necks, opening their beaks and hissing loudly. The sounds produced are similar to the growling of a large animal. They have strong eyesight and hearing, so they are rarely taken by surprise.

If necessary, they can pretend to be dead to save the young, but if the danger persists, they start running. The male runs ahead of the entire flock, moving along a curve.

The ostrich from South America easily swims across a body of water with a strong current. It loves water, but can go without it for a very long time, getting moisture from plants. He sleeps during the day, especially if the weather is too hot, and wakes up in the evening when it gets cooler.

Interestingly, the Indians invented a special device for hunting fast birds - the bolas. It consisted of belts and fabric.

Habitat

The South American ostrich prefers a subtropical climate. The most populated places of distribution are Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil. Settles in savannas, highlands and lowlands.

It is interesting that the smaller the bird, the higher the altitude above sea level it builds a nest.

In 1998, several American ostriches escaped from a farm in Lübeck because the enclosures were fragile and the fence was too low. As a result, the rheas were freed, easily adapting to new conditions. Nowadays exotic birds can be found even in Germany.

In the natural habitat of ostriches, their numbers are decreasing due to their love of eating grain and grass on farmland. For the owner, this threatens hungry livestock, so he installs a fence with barbed wire. Unsmart ostriches die from this. But there are examples of peaceful coexistence between birds and humans. So in Argentina, farmers noticed that they could be used as shepherds for geese and sheep.

In captivity they require a lot of space. It is important to develop an area for walking, space for enclosures and water supply systems, and areas for walking young animals.

Reproduction

Reproduction begins when the flock breaks up. Males perform a courtship dance, kneeling down, uttering a long cry “na-a-ndu” and straightening their feathers.

It is believed that they received their name precisely because of this peculiarity of reproduction - a kind of mating cry that resembles the sounds of cats.

The birds are polygamous - in a flock during the breeding season, there are 5-7 females per 1 male. The female lays eggs, and after laying the eggs, the males incubate them for 2 months. If they were taken outside the nest, a caring father will bring them back. During the brooding period, the female brings food to the head of the family.

25-30 chicks are born at the same time. They grow quickly and already weigh 500 g at birth. They immediately have strong vision and hearing, and can move independently. Sexual maturity is reached at the age of 3 years. Young animals often do not survive even to a year due to poachers.

There are several breeding options at home:

When parents are kept in open pens or insulated rooms for good egg production. All the eggs are taken from the female and transferred to the incubator. Interestingly, the more often you collect eggs, the more often they will appear. It is optimal to collect twice a day;
Keep parents in closed enclosures, but allow them to walk all year round. Allow the male to incubate the eggs, but care for the young independently, protecting them from predators. In captivity, it is impossible to ensure that an individual hatches more than 20 eggs.

In both cases, you can give some of the eggs to the bird to hatch, and collect some for the incubator. They are very useful for the human body, they replace 10 chicken eggs. Recommended for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system.

When ostriches prepare for laying on their own, they build nests in depressions and cover them with grass. Freshly laid ostrich eggs are completely sterile, but they lose these properties as they cool.

Bacteria easily penetrate the shell, so they should not be washed, even if they are dirty.

They weigh 600-650 g.

The yolk is located strictly in the center and consists of light and dark layers. Its rich color indicates that the female’s diet contains too much vitamin A. The eggshells are light yellow. Interestingly, the eggs of an immature female are empty.

Nutrition

American ostriches feed on carrion, reptiles, fruits, broad-leaved plants, roots, and small vertebrates. Some claim that ostriches can kill venomous snakes, but this has not been scientifically proven.

Ostriches are useful to raise on a farm, as they eat thistles, which spoil the wool of sheep.

In captivity and in the wild, the diet of birds consists of 80% plant foods. Occasionally they swallow small stones and sand so that food is better digested.

They love to feast on locusts. There were times when they were so full that they could not run. At home, they are fed oats, wheat, and barley. In winter, they provide hay, raw and boiled potato skins, carrots, and beets. The young animals are fed animal feed with a high protein content, curdled milk, cottage cheese, fish, and boiled chicken eggs.

In difficult conditions, the food of birds is reduced to the waste of artiodactyls.

Europeans saw it at the very beginning of the 16th century. And the first description of these creatures in literature dates back to 1553, when the Spanish explorer, traveler and priest Pedro Cieza de Leon in the first part of his book “Chronicles of Peru”.

Despite the significant external similarity African ostriches rhea, the degree of their relationship still causes controversy in scientific circles, since in addition to similarities, there are plenty of differences between these birds.

Description and features of the ostrich rhea

Unlike their African relatives, ostrich rhea in the photo - and the television camera reacts quite calmly, does not try to hide or run away. If this one doesn’t like something, then the rhea emits a guttural cry, very reminiscent in sound of the growl of a large predator, such as a lion or puma, and unless you see that this sound is made by an ostrich, it is simply impossible to determine whether it belongs to a bird’s throat.

The bird can also attack someone who comes too close, spreading its wings, each of which has a sharp claw, advancing towards the potential enemy and hissing threateningly.

Sizes of the ostrich rhea much less than . The growth of the largest individuals reaches only one and a half meters. The weight of South American ostriches is also significantly less than that of African beauties. An ordinary rhea weighs 30-40 kg, and the Darwinian rhea weighed even less - 15-20 kg.

According to the descriptions of the first Portuguese and Spanish explorers, these were domesticated by the Indians. Moreover, not only in our usual understanding of poultry.

Rheas not only provided people with meat. Eggs and feathers for making jewelry, they acted as dogs, performing guard and possibly hunting and fishing functions. These birds are excellent swimmers; even wide, fast-flowing rivers do not frighten them.

For some time the population was under threat due to the high popularity of rhea hunting. However, now the situation has improved, and the popularity among owners of ostrich farms is much higher than their African relatives.

Rhea ostrich lifestyle and habitat

They can feast on carrion and the waste of artiodactyls. There is an opinion that rheas are capable of hunting and, when tamed, protecting human habitation from them. But there is no scientific evidence for this.

Although these birds are excellent swimmers who love to frolic in the water and catch a few fish, they can go without drinking water for quite a long time. Like others, ostriches periodically swallow gastroliths and small pebbles, which help them digest food.

Reproduction and life expectancy of the rhea ostrich

During the mating season, rheas exhibit polygamy. The flock is divided into groups of one male and 4-7 females and retires to its own “secluded” place. Ostrich rhea egg equal to about four dozen chicken eggs, and the shell is so strong that it is used for various crafts that are sold to tourists as souvenirs. According to the records of European researchers, in Indian tribes, the shells of these eggs were used as utensils.

Females lay eggs in a common nest; in general, the clutch contains from 10 to 35 eggs, and the male incubates them. Incubation lasts on average a couple of months, all this time ostrich rhea feeding what his girlfriends bring him. When the chicks hatch, she takes care of them, feeds them and walks them. However, most babies do not live to see one year old for various reasons, not the least of which is hunting.

Although hunting rheas is prohibited in most countries where they live, these bans do not stop poachers. Sexual maturity in females occurs at 2.5-3 years, and in males at 3.5-4. These live on average from 35 to 45 years, under favorable conditions, unlike their African relatives, who live up to 70.

Interesting facts about the ostrich rhea

Speaking about the ostrich rhea, one cannot fail to mention where this interesting name came from. During the mating season, these birds exchange calls in which the consonance “nandu” clearly sounds, which first became their nickname, and then their official name.

Today science knows two species of these wonderful birds:

common or northern rhea, scientific name - Rhea americana;
Small rhea or Darwin, scientific name - Rhea pennata.

According to zoological classifications, rheas, like , and emus, are not ostriches. These birds were allocated to a separate order - rheas in 1884, and in 1849 the rhea family was defined, limited to two species of South American ostriches.

The oldest excavated fossils resembling modern rheas are 68 million years old, meaning there is every reason to believe that such birds lived on earth during the Paleocene period and saw dinosaurs.

One of the largest and most remarkable animals inhabiting the steppe expanses of South America is the rhea. This bird, externally resembling an African ostrich, nevertheless belongs to a separate order Rheiformes, which includes the only rhea family (Rheidae) and the genus Rhea. The birds got their name from their calling cry during the breeding season - “nan-doo”.

Some evidence obtained during excavations suggests that rheas were the very first among flightless birds, and ostriches in this case are descended from rheas. The basis for such assumptions is the extreme antiquity of the rhea. Judging by the research of zoologists, rheas existed in the Eocene, and finds made by archaeologists suggest that they arose back in the Paleocene. Thus, the rhea is one of the oldest families of birds on earth. American rheas received similarities with African ostriches and emus during the so-called convergent evolution, when unrelated species develop similar characteristics under the influence of the same environmental conditions. All of these large, flightless birds belong to the same subclass of ratites, but their degree of relationship is about the same as that of the penguin and swallow.

True, the question of the family relationship between ostriches and rheas has not yet been resolved. Some researchers suggest that maybe they are not related at all, evolution took place separately, and the similarity is purely coincidental.

There are two known species of rhea. The first - the most common - is called the northern or common rhea (Rhea americana), it inhabits the steppes of Brazil and Argentina. The second species is named after the famous Darwin (Rhea pennata), or sometimes it is also called the long-billed rhea. Darwin's rhea lives in Patagonia, in the mountain steppes of the Andes. It is somewhat smaller than its northern relative, its color is more faded and inconspicuous, which allows it to successfully hide in the grass in case of danger.

Darwin's rhea has to hide from enemies much more often than run away from them - this species has very weak legs and quickly runs out of steam over long distances. But Darwin’s rhea is decorated with a longer beak than the northern one, as a result of which it received its second name. True, in matters of survival, the long beak does not help him much.

The northern rhea is more interesting. This is a fairly large bird, the height of an adult is over one and a half meters, and the weight can reach 50 kg. Rheas have huge eyes, decorated with amazingly lush eyelashes, the envy of all movie stars. Like a professional runner, the rhea has well-developed legs, but the wings, which, oddly enough, are quite large for a flightless bird, are very soft and weak and easily bend in different directions, like thin twigs. The bird's feathers are long, reminiscent of fern leaves, and are in quite high demand as decoration. The legs end in powerful, calloused feet, on which four toes grow.

The middle finger, the longest, is armed with a hard and very sharp claw. If the rhea suddenly changes its mind about fleeing from the enemy and decides to defend itself, then the claw will play the role of a terrible weapon: regardless of whether the ostrich kicks forward or backward, this claw, like a sharp knife, will cut into the enemy’s body, tearing and tearing it apart.
But such horrors, of course, can only happen as a last resort. Rheas are more than peace-loving birds and will always prefer flight to fight.

In general, these two types are not particularly different from each other. Both have long legs and necks, flat beaks and large eyes on a relatively small head, and surprisingly soft plumage covering the entire body, neck and thighs. Rheas are the only ratite birds without a gall bladder. They are painted rather modestly and inconspicuously. However, among grayish-brown birds you can often see an albino rhea with light plumage and blue eyes.

Developing a running speed comparable to the speed of a car (up to 50-60 km/h), rheas help themselves with their wings, spreading them for balance. During mating games and fights, birds frighten the enemy with sharp claws, one on each wing.

The rhea's diet is extremely varied. Birds eat fruits, leaves, rhizomes of plants, as well as large insects, lizards, scorpions, spiders, small rodents and birds. These omnivorous birds will not refuse fish washed ashore. Rheas can go without water for a long time, satisfying their need for it through food.

Rheas live in groups of up to 30 individuals. They can often be found near grazing herds of llamas, cows, and pampas deer. Such unexpected alliances with ungulates benefit everyone. Birds have excellent vision, and mammals have a good sense of smell, making it easy to spot a predator.

During the breeding season, groups break up and males disperse into areas. The male builds a nest on his territory, carefully framing the earthen hole with twigs and dry leaves. Females move from one site to another, mating with the host and laying eggs. Thus, a large number of eggs from several females can accumulate in the nest, sometimes their number can reach 80 pieces. The father takes care of the eggs and chicks. After about a month of incubation (from 23 to 43 days), babies emerge from the eggs. Surprisingly, all chicks are born within 36 hours, although the time of laying eggs by females can vary up to 2 weeks.

Rheas have few natural enemies: puma, jaguar and feral dogs. Rhea eggs and chicks are the most vulnerable. But the most dangerous enemy for these birds is man. Farmers consider them harmful animals and often shoot birds if they enter their lands. Rhea meat and eggs have always been valued, but now the birds are specially bred for these purposes. Some birds are then released into the wild, not only in the rhea's original habitat, but also in Germany. In 2009, the wild rhea population in Germany was around 100 individuals.

In case of danger, the entire yellow-striped community quickly runs to its parent and hides under its wide wings. If such actions do not help in any way, then the whole family breaks into an orderly flight: the father rushes ahead, constantly changing course, making, like a hare, sharp turns and leaps to the sides, striped children try to keep up with him.

“I never imagined that ground-dwelling birds could move as quickly and easily as birds in flight,” wrote Gerald Durrell in his book “Under the Canopy of the Drunken Forest,” “but that morning I could see it for myself.” . Eight rheas, forming a wedge, ran with all their might. Their legs moved with such speed that they merged into unclear, blurry spots; they could only be distinguished at the moment when they touched the ground, giving the bird a push forward.”

The chicks grow very quickly, after two weeks they reach sixty centimeters in height. After six months, small rheas are no longer small at all - they are as tall as their parents, and after two or three years they begin to change their baby plumage to adult plumage - uniformly gray and approximately the same in both males and females. By this time, the chicks are finally mature enough to start a family on their own.

Local farmers often hunt rheas with dogs, guns and boleadoras - metal balls tied together with rope. Farmers blame rheas for eating too much grass suitable for sheep. The only thing that saves these birds from complete extermination is that they are quite easily tamed and live quite freely on many farms, enjoying all the “rights” of livestock.

Ostriches are the largest birds in the world. We used to mistakenly confuse African with American, but in fact they are significantly different from each other. Who is the American rhea ostrich, and what are its advantages over other representatives?

This bird has three fingers and a beak 12 cm long.
When running, the rhea raises one wing to maintain balance.
The weight is not as large as that of other brothers, only up to 50 kg. And the height is about 1.5 m in height.
The body of the American ostrich is completely covered with feathers, even the neck. The feathers are soft and loose.
At the tips of their wings there are sharp claws with which they defend themselves from the enemy.
They run slower than others, but can swim well. They can even swim across rivers with strong currents.
The rhea ostrich gets its name from the sounds it makes as a call during the breeding season.
To intimidate the enemy or sound the alarm, they hiss threateningly.
They live in savannas, lowlands or mountainous areas.
Hatches eggs and takes care of the hatchlings.
Not only the meat and eggs of ostriches of the South American “nationality” are valued, but also the skin and egg shells.

Nandu's difference is the ability to swim

Nutrition

The South American ostrich feeds not only on grain crops, but also likes to eat various insects and even small reptiles. But they do not have a special need for water; they can go without it for a long time, compensating for its lack from pasture. At home, they are offered juicy herbs and root vegetables: beets, carrots, boiled potatoes. Rhea ostrich chicks have an urgent need for a large amount of protein, so they are given yogurt, cottage cheese, eggs and fish, but experienced farmers do not recommend feeding them with fresh milk.

Behavior

The peak activity of these ostriches falls mainly in the daytime, but when it is very hot, it shifts to the early evening. They live in packs of 5 to 30 individuals and get along well with other animals: cows, deer, sheep. Due to this feature, people often use rheas as guards for their flock. The head of the pack can be only one male, in rare cases - two. One male fertilizes no more than seven females. Nandas very jealously guard their personal space and for not respecting boundaries they can attack not only a stranger, but also their relatives.

Like Emus, female Rheas do not care for or incubate their chicks; the male does this.

Guardianship of offspring

Despite the fact that the ostrich is a polygamous bird, it does not mind taking care of its own offspring.

Already in early spring, the male begins to intensively court his lady, chasing her. During this period, an increase in egg production in the female is observed. For his chosen one, the rhea prepares a nest in advance - this is a dug hole, at the bottom of which grass or hay is laid for softness and warmth. The ostrich very carefully guards the female and the nest, frightening everyone with its elongated neck and menacing hissing. All the ladies lay their eggs in one nest, or the ostrich himself rolls them to the right place. At home, you need to carefully keep the nest clean, because bacteria can penetrate into the eggs through the shell. As soon as the eggs are laid, the females go in search of other partners. But the male rhea incubates the eggs for 40 days, without leaving them for a minute. Usually there are 20 - 25 eggs in a nest, but there can be about 50. Of course, not all of them develop successfully.

Newborn chicks are small, about 400 g, so the father continues to care for them. He takes care of the chicks for up to six months, and then they take care of themselves.

The ostrich called rhea is a fairly large animal of its species. This flightless bird lives mainly in South America. Although very similar large ostriches also live on the African continent.

The ostrich called rhea is a fairly large animal of its kind.

The degree of relatedness of these animals from different parts of the world is currently disputed by many scientists. The main differences between ostriches include size, number of toes and feathering on the neck.

The rhea bird prefers a subtropical climate

The emergence of the species

Scientists historians suggest that the rhea ostrich appeared on earth a long time ago, as evidenced by archaeological excavations. Moreover, this flightless bird arose as the very first of its large family of diverse individuals. For this reason, it is very difficult to find the right evolutionary system for animals. In general, there are several versions in zoology according to which the rhea ostrich belongs to one or another order.

One hypothesis says that these flightless birds from the South American continent are the main group that is found within the ostrich group. However, a completely new proposal by scientists contains information about convergent evolution. As a result of these complex transformation processes, rhea-shaped flightless birds are only superficially similar to ostrich-like animals. In fact, the creatures in question belong to the order of hidden tails.

The ostrich of South America was known to people back in the 16th century. According to some historical data, these creatures lived among the Indians. In addition, the number of rheas in human settlements of that time was quite large. After all, the Indians often used their feathers, skin and meat.

The modern South American ostrich comes in two types, which include the northern and small ones. Unfortunately, this species of flightless bird is on the verge of extinction.

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Ostrich rhea (video)

Habitats

The rhea bird prefers a subtropical climate, so these ostriches live better in a subtropical climate. It is for this reason that the flightless bird can now be seen in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. The American ostrich loves places free from numerous thickets, which are more like a savannah. The high plains and Patagonian lowlands are ideal for birds. The great rhea can be seen in South America, where the climate is quite warm. Small birds live at higher elevations (more than 4 km). The rhea ostrich also lives near the subpolar extreme south of the South American continent.

Features of life

The American ostrich prefers to stay awake during the daytime. Although, with a significant increase in ambient temperature, these flightless birds can only be active in the evening, when it becomes cooler.

However, rheas also actively flap their wings when moving quickly, which helps maintain balance. These animals defend themselves and attack using a sharp claw located in the upper part of the body. This ostrich can swim across the river without much difficulty., even if the main feature of the reservoir is considered to be a strong current. Although other individuals of the order do not know how to float at all.

Several males usually live in the same flock of rheas. This order is explained by the fact that 7 females can be fertilized by one representative of the opposite sex. All female rheas lay their eggs in one nest, which will soon be incubated by the male for 2 months. If the egg was laid outside the designated location, a caring male representative carefully places it in the general clutch. Later, about 30 chicks are born. An ostrich must reach three years of age to begin breeding. However, the chicks grow very quickly, although after birth their weight is only 0.5 kg. Shortly before the mating period, large flocks of flightless birds, consisting of about 25 individuals, break up into small groups.

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Rhea ostriches living in the pampas can form mixed communities with other animals. Local deer, cows and sheep are usually included in the newly formed group, creating favorable conditions for the survival of all species.

When young birds are threatened, they begin to hide under the wide wings of their parents. But if such actions are not effective, then the whole family flees, and the dominant male is the first to lead everyone else. The trajectory of the group is a curve.

Rhea birds feel good near bodies of water, which is not typical for other varieties of this order.

Gallery: ostrich rhea (50 photos)

Bird food from South America

Rheas, like other species of ostriches, eat a variety of fruits and plants with wide leaves. Roots and seeds are also included in the diet of these flightless birds. Animal feed includes insects and small vertebrates. Some people claim that rhea ostriches can kill poisonous reptiles, but no one has been able to prove this yet.

Ostriches from South America obtain drink from plants, even from those that have been in drought conditions for a long time. Rheas are adapted to living conditions in hot regions. This type of ostrich is of great benefit to farmers, since the birds love to eat thistle, which spoils the wool of sheep and causes poor fodder growth. To ensure that food is ground well in the stomach and then absorbed by the body, ostriches often swallow gastroliths.

Interesting facts about ostrich speed

Unusual sounds of individuals

Unlike other bird species, rhea ostriches produce a special sound that is more reminiscent of the growl of a large animal. If you listen to it, you can hear “nan-doo”, which is why the name of these flightless birds arose. During the mating season, males always make such an unusual sound. In addition, male representatives perform a special mating dance. And if rhea ostriches feel danger approaching, then you can hear a hoarse call from them, intended to warn other individuals of the flock.

Flightless birds usually scare away the enemy with a loud hiss, thus trying to intimidate him. At the same time, ostriches begin to stretch their necks and open their beaks wide. This happens when a dangerous predator approaches. Good eyesight and hearing are a feature of the rhea ostrich.

Human-Animal Interaction

It is known that the first Indian tribes living in the vast expanses of the South American continent hunted rhea ostriches for further use of their meat and eggs for food. To catch this running bird, people took with them devices made of belts and stones, which were called bolas. Feathers of individuals were widely used by Indians to create jewelry and various things. Rhea ostriches are capable of herding sheep and geese. Today in Latin America you can find about 600 farms where such individuals are kept.

Breeding rules (video)

Scientists have proven that ostrich eggs are very beneficial for people with diseases of the cardiovascular system of the body. They are often compared to chicken eggs in taste, although 1 ostrich egg can replace more than a dozen chicken eggs. The shell of rhea eggs is thick enough, which allows artisans to make various jewelry and vases.