Lexi Webster
Emus are large, fast-running birds native to Australia. They are frequently confused with ostriches, but can be distinguished by their black and white feathers, striped along their backs, and arranged in a squiggly pattern on their heads. Emus are omnivores, but their diet is mostly herbivorous, consisting of seeds, grasses, fruits, leaves, shoots, and insects. They also consume small reptiles and mammals, such as rodents and lizards. Interestingly, emus do not have teeth and must swallow small rocks to help them digest their food in a gizzard, a muscular organ that grinds down food.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of wild emus in Australia | 625,000 to 725,000 |
| Diet | Omnivorous |
| Preferred foods | Seeds, grasses, insects, fruits, shoots, leaves, flowers, small reptiles and mammals |
| Role in the ecosystem | Spreading seeds across Australia |
| Eating habits | Swallowing small rocks to aid digestion |
| Foraging habits | Nomadic, travelling to warmer spots in winter |
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What You'll Learn
Insects, reptiles, and small mammals
Emus are large, flightless birds native to Australia. They are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. Emus do not have teeth, so they swallow small rocks that remain in their gizzards to help grind up their food.
Emus eat a variety of insects, including grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, cockroaches, ladybugs, bogong and cotton-boll moth larvae, ants, spiders, and millipedes. These insects provide a large part of their protein requirements. They also eat small reptiles, such as lizards, and small mammals, including rodents and snails. Emus are opportunistic and will eat a variety of foods they come across, even scavenging from other animals' droppings.
Emus have a preference for certain plants, including Acacia, Casuarina, and grasses. They also eat seeds, fruits, flowers, and young shoots. In Western Australia, emus have been observed eating seeds from Acacia aneura until the rains arrive, after which they move on to fresh grass shoots and caterpillars. During the winter, their diet becomes more plant-based, focusing on herbs, new grasses, flowers, and seeds.
Emus are highly nomadic, and their range covers most of mainland Australia. They can be found in various habitats, including eucalyptus forests, woodlands, heathlands, desert shrublands, and sand plains. Emus are important seed dispersers and can travel long distances in search of food, sometimes walking up to 25 km a day.
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Seeds, fruits, and flowers
Emus are large, omnivorous birds native to Australia. They have a varied diet, eating both meat and plants. In the winter, their diet becomes more plant-based, and they will focus on eating seeds, fruits, flowers, and grasses.
Emus have a high demand for protein, which constitutes 15-20% of their diet. They will eat almost any non-poisonous insect or arthropod they can find, as well as small reptiles and mammals. However, their diet is mostly herbivorous. They will eat seeds, fruits, and flowers, as well as leaves, young shoots, and vegetables. Emus are very opportunistic and will eat whatever food they come across.
Emus particularly like casuarina, a tree with slender, drooping twigs bearing tiny, scale-like leaves, and acacia plants. Their preferred fruits include apples, apricots, cherries, strawberries, and other berries. They will also eat herbs and grasses, although they avoid dry grass with low nutritional value. Instead, they seek out fresh, leafy green grasses and other juicy varieties.
Emu chicks eat tender, young green shoots and roots. As they forage, they whistle gently to each other. The whistling becomes louder and more high-pitched if they feel threatened or lose sight of their father.
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Grasses and leaves
Emus are large, omnivorous birds native to Australia. They have a high demand for protein, which they get from insects and arthropods. However, their diet also consists of a variety of plants, including grasses and leaves.
Emus are very opportunistic when it comes to food due to their inhospitable natural environment. They will eat a variety of foods that they come across, even if it means picking them from another animal's droppings. Emus do not have teeth, so they swallow small rocks that remain in their gizzards to help grind up their food for proper digestion.
Emus have a preference for fresh, green, leafy grass with high nutritional value. They avoid dry grass with low nutritional value. They also target healthy plant shoots and roots, eating them roots and all. This can cause devastation to industrial crops such as wheat if left uncontrolled.
Emus also have a fondness for the leaves of the Casuarina tree, which has slender, drooping twigs bearing tiny, scale-like leaves. They also enjoy the leaves of acacia plants.
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Stones and pebbles
Emus swallow small rocks and large pebbles that remain in their gizzards. These help the large and muscular organ to grind down food, especially when the emu's diet includes hard-to-digest plants. The gizzard works like a pestle and mortar, and the stones and grit aid the digestion of tough and hard-to-digest foods. The stones that emus swallow can weigh up to 45 grams, and they can hold over 700 grams of stones in their gizzards at one time.
Emus have a high demand for protein, so they eat insects and arthropods, favouring insects for their protein requirements. They also eat plenty of grass and shrubs, especially if they are the only nutritious foods around. Emus target healthy plant shoots and roots, eating them roots and all. They avoid plants with little food value, such as dry grass and dead flowers.
Emus are large birds, and their size means they have few natural predators. They have very sharp claws and can run at 25 miles per hour, so they can be dangerous if they feel threatened. They are, however, unlikely to attack humans unless they are disturbed or frightened.
Emus are foragers and omnivores, eating both meat and plants. They have been known to eat other non-edible items, including nuts and bolts, jewellery, and marbles. In the wild, they will probably only encounter the lowest-lying fruits like berries, but they will also forage for cherries, strawberries, apricots, and citrus fruits if they are knocked to the ground.
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High-protein foods
Emus have a high demand for protein, requiring 15-20% of their diet to be protein-based. They are omnivores, but they tend to be more herbivorous than carnivorous. They will eat almost any non-poisonous insect or arthropod they can find. This includes grasshoppers, caterpillars, and land snails, which they swallow whole. They also eat baby reptiles and small mammals such as rodents and lizards.
In the winter, when insect life is scarcer, their diet becomes more plant-based. They will eat herbs, grasses, and flowers, as well as seeds. They particularly like casuarina and acacia plants. They will also eat fruits, including berries, apricots, apples, and cherries.
Emus will also eat meat, including chicken, when kept in captivity. Their staple diet in captivity is primarily a high-protein feed. They will also eat chicken eggs in captivity.
Emus do not have teeth, so they swallow small rocks that stay in their gizzards to help grind up their food.
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Frequently asked questions
Emus are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants. They are, however, more herbivorous than carnivorous.
Emus eat a variety of plants, including acacia, casuarina, grasses, leaves, and flowering plants. They also eat seeds, fruits, fresh herbs, young shoots, and vegetables.
Emus eat insects when they are abundant and readily caught. They also eat small reptiles and mammals, such as lizards and rodents.
Emus do not have teeth to grind their food, so they swallow small rocks that stay in their gizzards (a muscular organ in the digestive system) to help grind up their food for digestion.
Male emus do not eat or drink anything while incubating eggs.
