Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

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It wasn't just cool in the garden this morning, it was cold

 

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This morning at dawn we were fortunate to observe a copulation from splendidly close.

Copulation in summer? Will chicks result?

I'll patiently type a description, and post it shortly

SE

 

[AntiqueB]

Isn't it more autumn there? How long is emu incubation?

 

[Evadig]

From what I understand, it’s the female who picks a mate; does she fight other females over her beloved as male birds do (like roosters and such)?

 

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I’m here guys. Got some posts and photos coming.



‘From what I understand, it’s the female who picks a mate; does she fight other females over her beloved as male birds do (like roosters and such)?’

Correctamundo, Evadig! Emus are a gynocentric species, and the females beat the living daylights out of each other on occasion – although that is flippant. Think back on our understanding of the ‘ballet of power’ that we describe going on here. It's Mexican standoffs. It’s groups to-ing and fro-ing on and around the clearing. It's skirmishes.



It’s sometimes males against males, or males chasing Cheeky Chicks (Wa ha ha!); but the sparks really fly when females go to it. These fights sometimes last milliseconds, and a pillow case full of feathers marks the scene of the crime. We’ve noted before the lack of reliable reports about emus attacking people, and as noted, there is far more diplomacy than actual fights; but the fights between the emus themselves, particularly the females, are legendary.



Here’s a story I’ve oft recounted:



Eric the Emu (So, a male in this case) was undisputed King of The House-Clearing, and had been for years, when his Daughter Greedy The Emu took a 25-yard run-up; leaped so high that her head was about nine feet off the ground; and delivered square to Eric’s chest a double-legged blow that – there’s no point in subtleties here – knocked him literally flat on his ass.

 

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https://imgur.com/9GIdmID

Here she is. I once saw her single-handedly drive a mob of a dozen emus from the fig tree.

 

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But the bottom line, readers, is the speed with which either the males or females strike. They don't have thighs like the cassowary. But they can strike astonishingly fast.

 

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[Sunday morning catching up on posts]



There was one other bird. Male or female? Don’t know.

Eric had a clutch with him, so the rules are different. (That’s another post.) But a fine-looking ‘dark’ emu once stepped out of the gums, and beat Eric like a carpet hangin’ on a clothes line. We have never otherwise seen more than one ‘round’ to such a territorial dispute. Eric had three goes at the intruder, and submitted.

 

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https://imgur.com/XtHVYDG

This is a great clip of a breeding-pair ‘operating’ together. It usually only happens when the female calls upon the male – he usually stands about like a potted palm (except Offsider Emu, who is a very aggressive fellow, and undertakes on his own forays against interlopers).

So, it’s a combination of the puffing up of chest feathers, and the ‘sideways boogie,’ and vocalizing, and moving in synchrony.

 

[briefvisit]

https://www.google.com/search?q=you...ate=ive&vld=cid:40e4f602,vid:DT3kLBCMxxE,st:0