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RHEA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rhea americana
HOUSE NAME: Male "Dwight" Female "Margarita"
HABITAT: Grasslands and open brush, pampas, of South America.
CONSERVATION STATUS: Least Concern
FUN FACT: The rhea has a good sense of hearing and sight, allowing them to detect predators from far away. The ability to run with strides of almost five feet, and dodge and turn suddenly by using their wings like rudders, enables them to escape enemies.
DIET: Mainly grass and leaves, but may also eat some insects, other invertebrates like worms and small vertebrates like lizards and snakes
DESCRIPTION: The common rhea is the largest New World (Americas) bird. It is flightless, but smaller and more slender than an ostrich, reaching only 4-5 feet tall and weighing up to 50 pounds. Its bill is wide and flat. The feathers are gray, loose and plume-like covering the body, head and neck. They lack tail plumes. The soft plumes are ineffective for flight but provide good insulation. The body is egg-shaped, with a long, flexible and sparsely feathered neck. The legs are long and bare of plumage with three toes per foot. Males are slightly taller than females, with black plumage around the lower part of the neck.
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