Morning, E.S. (Feel free to hate me: got autumn sunshine pouring golden all around).
I truly do understand that the ‘sub-species thing’ is of next-to-no importance to you guys; but it intrigues me. As usual, the available data sucks; but what I see is that the skinny northern woodwardi’s have much lighter ‘suits,’ while the rothschildi’s around here – whom I see sitting contentedly in the open in pouring mid-winter rain – certainly have thicker coats.
The tail feathers and the ‘fringe’ warrant mention. When I observed Boy Emu on the last day of his ‘hatch-week,’ I realised that, as he sat on his belly, his feathers created a ‘curtain’ around him. Through the binos (great observations! through binos from twenty feet!), it was apparent that the five chicks under him at that point – wait, here’s a photo, and . . . it's at the top of the page?!
‘Kay, the chicks sit either in the ‘room’ under the male’s vent, which the presence of the tail feathers makes a cosy little place, or they sit snuggled in against his body at the sides, between his body and the ‘curtain.’ My point is that ‘desert birds’ don’t need this – and gee! they don’t have it!
(I wish I were well enough to make one trip up north, to spend some time observing woodwardis!)
Supreme Emu
